
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



DDD135flHb2A 



OUR POLICE. 



A HISTORY OF THE BALTIMORE FORCE 

FROM THE FIRST WATCHMAN TO 

THE LATEST APPOINTEE, 



EDITED BY 



de FRANCIAS KOLSOIvi 



ILLUSTRATED WITH PORTRAITS AND ETCHINGS. 



II 



BALTIMOKE, MARYLAND. 

18 88. 









COPYRIGHT BY 

J. M. BEERS. 






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PRINTED BY 

J. D. EHLERS & Co. 

AND 

GUGGENHEIMER, "WEIL & CO. 



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PREFACE 



Policemen are the heroes of peace as soldiers are heroes 
of war. In many respects they are the soldiers' superiors. They 
pass stricter examinations, they observe more rigid rules, and 
their exploits are without the glory that attaches itself to military 
life. Their duties are proverbially exacting. They must run 
constant physical risks and endure all kinds of weather. To 
unfaltering patience and fortitude they must add personal bravery 
of a high and continuous order. They must not only discover 
crime but they must prevent it. They must not only arrest 
criminals but they must protect the innocent by keeping track of 
the wrong-doers, be a restraint upon the idle and vicious. 
Whether a burglar-alarm sounds, a fire breaks out or a baby 
gets lost, it is towards the policeman that all thoughts imme- 
diately turn. They are our friends in danger, our protectors 



The police of many cities have marked characteristics, 
but the Baltimore force occupies an enviable position, being a no- 
tably able and efficient organization. It suppressed the riotous 
elements that at one time ruled here and has made this city one 
of the safest and most orderly in the world. One can venture into 
any alley or street at any time of the day or night without fear 
or harm. "Crooks" of all kinds are as shy of Baltimore as 
they are of the penitentiary itself. The city is free from great 
crimes. Every where order and safety prevail. To the police 
the credit belongs. 

The history of the police is to a large extent the history of 
Baltimore. It embraces the careers of prominent citizens, the 
accounts of important political changes, the interesting records of 
criminal sensations, the full details of great events and all those 
valuable incidents which the cut and-dried historian in his prosy 

(III) 



"T3E 



IV PREFACE. 

collection of dates and skeleton facts has either overlooked or dis- 
regarded. In no volume have the police of Baltimore been given 
the attention that by all the considerations of merit and import- 
ance belongs to them. Nothing has been published in permanent 
form to show the extent of their labors or to give the people an 
adequate idea of their history and careers. This book, then, has 
a large field all to itself and those who read it will be surprised 
at the abundance of interesting fact and anecdote which is put forth 
for the first time in its pages. It is a particularly fitting season to 
give this material an enduring form. Many old policemen and 
aged citizens whose reminiscences are priceless, are still alive to 
tell of the old times. Valuable data procurable now will have 
disappeared in a few years. The period now is when the police 
force has reached a position of general and undoubted excellence, 
and the history of its past — sometimes picturesque, sometimes 
exciting and always interesting — must be written before the 
records and the recollections have lost their freshness and 
accuracy. 

But it is not with the past alone that this volume concerns 
itself for in the story of the present it will show how little 
the citizen realizes of the varied experiences of light and shadow, 
the romance and the darker side of the familiar blue-coated 
guardian's lot. 

That the work will receive a kindly welcome is a hope that 
should be shared by every friend of humanity's friend — the 
Policeman. 



CONTENTS. 

Preface, - - - - - - -- -.- - - - - - - ill 

List of Illustrations, ---------- xiv 

eoster of the force, ----------- 533 

Index, - - _____-_-- 544 



CHAPTER I. 

Baltimore's Earliest Officers. 
(1606-1784.) 

discovery and settlement of the patapsco. — "whetstone 
point " MADE a town and port of entry (1706). — THE 
town of baltimore created (1729). — the early con- 
servators of the peace. the sheriff, constables and 

public executioner. an office not sought after. a 

€ase in point where the office sought the man. 

cruel punishments inflicted on malefactors. — brand- 
ing with irons. the pillory, stocks and ducking-stools. 

— Baltimore's pillory and whipping-post at the old 

COURT HOUSE. - Pp. 1-14 



CHAPTER II 

(1784-1853.) 

THE GUARDIANS OF THE TOWN ORGANIZED BY LEGISLATIVE 

ENACTMENT. ALL MANNER OF TAXES TO SUPPORT THE PEACE 

OFFICERS. — AT THE CLOSE OF THE REVOLUTION. — BALTIMORE 

BECOMES A CITY. INCREASING THE NUMBER OF WATCHMEN. 

ESTABLISHMENT OF WATCH-HOUSES AND ERECTION OF CELLS. 

THE POLICE FORCE IN 1848. - Pp. 15-23 

vii 



VJ11 CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER III 

(1853-1860.) 

THE REORGANIZATION OF THE FORCE. — THE DUTIES OF ITS 
OFFICERS. — FOUR POLICE DISTRICTS AND THREE HUNDRED 

AND FIFTY PATROLMEN. NO LONGER HIGH CONSTABLE, BUT 

MARSHAL. FIRST POLICE HEADQUARTERS. THE PAY AND 

UNIFORM. — THE POLICE AND THE MAGISTRATES. — NO PUNISH- 
MENT OF CRIME. — THE REORGANIZATION OF 1860. — MARSHAL 
KANE AND HIS ADMINISTRATION. ----- Pp. 24-44 



CHAPTER IV. 

Civil War and the New Force. 

the entrance of the northern troops.— marshal kane's 

precautions. protecting the military. the march 

through the streets. " keep back, men, or i'll shoot." 

the commissioners and marshal arrested. under 

military rule. — the rival police boards. — good order 
again. — the reorganization of 1867. — the first board. 

Pp. 45-74 



CHAPTER V. 

Flood of 1868, and Riot of 1877. 

baltimore inundated. — brave work by policemen. — com- 
missioner carr's gallantry. — his terrible experience 

in the flood and his rescue. policemf.n who aided 

the destitute. — the police special 1tjni and its dis- 
position by the commissioners. the cb s?ges in the 

board. the riots of 1877, and the morai flbey taught. 

the police force in 1885. pp. 75-116 



CONTENTS. IX 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Present Police Commissioners. 

how the board is now constituted. — its duties and re- 
sponsibilities. — how the commissioners care for the 
members op the force. — sketch of president edson m. 
schryver. — treasurer alfred j. carr's duties and 
achievements as commissioner. — incidents in his career. 
— commissioner john quincy adams robson's life and 
his services to the state of maryland. — a sketch of 
secretary george savage. pp. 117-147 

CHAPTER VII. 

The Marshal. 

the interesting career of marshal frey. — one of the 
bravest and best known officers in the country. — 
the conspicuous crimes he has unearthed. — hollohan's 
murderous attack upon him. — his magnanimity and his 
coolness in danger. — increasing the efficiency of the 
southern district police. — the attack on mrs. sar- 
racco. — the wharton-ketchum poisoning case. — the 
murder of mrs. lampley. — the cumberland riots and 
mr. frey's bravery. — how he controlled the mob. — 
a raid on the baltimore banks by forgers. — the 

UNGER-BOHLE TRUNK CASE. ------ Pp. 148-175 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Deputy Marshal John Lannan. 

his rise from patrolman to deputy marshal. — a trip to 
china. — the minnesota and a typhoon. — clearing out 
dishonest servants. — running down new jersey burg- 
lars. a murderer identified intuitively. the rats 



y 



CONTENTS. 

HAD GNAWED HIS HANDCUFFS. — THE RIOTS OF 1877. — THE 
CENTRAL STATION A HOSPITAL. — THREE DAYS AND NIGHTS 

CONTINUOUS SERVICE. — A VERY SHARP NEGRO. A DEPUTY 

MARSHAL'S DIAMOND BADGE. — THE ONLY BURKING CASE IN 
AMERICA. ------------ Pp. 176-211 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Detective Force. 

organization of the secret service. — chief detective 
crone. — captain cadwallader. — captain solomon h. fre- 

burger. what some of the men have done. john s. 

pontier. detective cunning and pluck. — robbing harn- 

den's express. joseph c. mitchell.— an expert lock- 
smith. — the arrest of herr goldbach. — a romance at 
barnum's hotel. — theoderick b. hall. — real and bogus 

DETECTIVES. - Pp. 212-234 



CHAP TUB X. 

The Detective Force. — Continued. 

ALBERT GAULT. — A REMARKABLE RECORD. — QUICK WORK WITH 
SKILLFUL BURGLARS. — RESCUING FROM THE FLOOD. — CLEVER 

CAPTURE OF JOHN KING. CHRISTINE ELBRIGHT. ARREST OF 

TOLLIVER HARRIS, THE NEGRO TERROR OF VIRGINIA. AMONG 

THE MOONSHINERS. TERRIBLE CONFLICT WITH AN ESCAPED 

PRISONER. DETECTIVE GEORGE W. SEIBOLD. RISEN FROM 

THE RANKS. PURSUING THE CONFIDENCE MEN. A COLORED 

FExMALE FAGIN. — THEIR CHILD RESTORED AFTER EIGHT YEARS. 
— A PRIESTLY SWINDLER. — DETECTIVE SEIBOLD AS A FAKIR. — 
CLEVER WORK IN ELLICOTT CITY. — BARN BURNING IN HOWARD 

COUNTY. HOW AN AGED TRAMP REPAID FARMER RHINE' S 

KINDNESS. _ Pp. 235-275 



wLmtrn 



CONTENTS. XI 



CHAPTER XL 

The Detective Force. {Concluded) 

WILLIAM HENRY DROSTE. — THE LAST WORK ON THE MER- 
RIMAC. — A BAD EXPERIENCE AS A BLOCKADE-RUNNER. — THE 
EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION. — A BOGUS BILL-OF-LADING 
THIEF. — CATCHING THREE FORGERS. — THOMAS BARRANGER. — 
PURSUING A CONVICT.— A DEAF MUTE AS A HORSE-THIEF. — 
CAPTURING CHARLES H. HOCH. — STEPHEN J. O'NEILL. — FET- 
TERED BY STOLEN GOODS. — A YOUNG BUT NOTORIOUS BURG- 
LAR. — A STRUGGLE TO THE FINISH. — AQUILLA J. PUMPHREY. — 
A CASE OF MUTUAL SUSPICION. — SWINDLING AS A MISSION- 
ARY. JOHN E. REILLY. A BRAVE DEED. COMPLIMENTED 

BY THE DEPARTMENT. -------- Pp, 276-302 



CHAPTER XII. 

Commanders of Districts. 

ancient and modern history. — the late captain william 
delanty. — captain farnan of the central district. — 
the assault on captain clayton. — murder of louis 

SCHMIDT. — TOOK HIM TO THE STATION DESPITE THE MOB. — 

CAPTAIN CADWALLADER OF THE WESTERN DISTRICT. THE 

KILLING OF HENRY MESNERING. — HOW MURDERER FOSTER 
WAS ARRESTED. — DETECTING THE MURDERERS OF DOUGLASS 
LOVE. — HE CUT HIS NECK "IN HALF." — CAPTAIN AULD OF 
THE EASTERN DISTRICT. — RUNNING DOWN A GANG OF BUR- 
GLARS. THE RIOTS OF 1861. AN EXPERT CHECK SWINDLER. 

Pp. 803-360 



Xll CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Commanders of Districts [Concluded.) 

CAPTAIN CLAIBORNE OF THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT. — NAILING THE 
FLAG TO FORT SUMPTER'S STAFF. — A RECORD TO BE PROUD 
OF. — CAPTAIN EARHART OF THE NORTH-WESTERN DISTRICT. — 

DRIVING OUT THE "GANGS." — HARRY GILMOR'S SPURS. 

STRONGEST MAN ON THE FORCE — CAPTAIN BAKER OF THE SOUTH- 
WESTERN DISTRICT. — A DASTARDLY CRIME. — THE MURDER OF 
EMELINE MILLER. — CAPTURING BOARDING HOUSE THIEVES. — 
CAPTAIN BARBER OF THE NORTH-EASTERN DISTRICT. — HIS 

CARE FOR PRISONERS. A ROBBER'S SHREWDNESS. STEALING 

TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND SHOESTRINGS. - - Pp. 361-422 



CHAPTER XIV. 

The Police Gymnasiums. 

THE LACK OF AMBITION IN THE OLD FORCE. AN INCIDENT IN 

SCALING FENCES. — FIRST ORGANIZATION IN THE CENTRAL 
DISTRICT. — STARTING A GYMNASIUM WITH $100. — ENGAGING 

PROFESSOR KIMBALL. SOCIETY AND ATHLETICS COMBINED. 

THE FIRST EXHIBITION A GREAT SUCCESS. INTERIOR OF 

THE CENTRAL STATION GYMNASIUM. IN THE NORTH-WESTERN 

GYMNASIUM. — CAPTAIN EARHART AS AN ATHLETE, AND HIS 
FONDNESS FOR HEAVY WEIGHTS. — HOW A FINE EXERCISING 
HALL WAS FURNISHED. — ; THE EASTERN DISTRICT EXERCISING 
HALLS, BOTH OLD AND NEW. — A FINE GYMNASIUM FROM A 

SMALL BEGINNING. THE NORTH-EASTERN ATHLETES AT WORK.— 

ORGANIZING A POLICE ASSOCIATION, AND ITS LIST OF RULES. 

WHAT ATHLETICS HAS DONE FOR OUR POLICE. Pp. 423-461 



CONTENTS. xiii 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE PATROL-WAGON SYSTEM. — THE TELEPHONE AND ALARM 

TELEGRAPH. MR. COLTON'S AND MARSHAL GRAY'S TRIP TO 

CHICAGO. ADVANTAGES OE THE SYSTEM. — THE HARBOR 

PATROL. ITS WORK AND THE RESULTS OP IT. POLICE CHARI- 
TIES AND THE NOBLE WORK OE THE MEMBERS OF THE 
FORCE. — THE LIFE INSURANCE ASSOCIATION. - Pp. 462-485 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Charles Becker, the Forger. 

little carl on the banks of the spree. — in america. 

learning to engrave. in love with clara bechtel. 

AN OMINOUS WISH.— THE FIRST CRIME. — ROBBING THE BAL- 
TIMORE THIRD NATIONAL BANK VAULT. IN A TURKISH 

PRISON. THE ESCAPE AND THE MURDER OF MRS. CHAPMAN. 

SWINDLING THE UNION TRUST COMPANY. — A SCHEME TO DE- 
FRAUD THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT. — THE 1,000 FRANC NOTE 
FORGERY. FOR NEARLY SIX YEARS A PRISONER. " YES, 

pet, i'll try to be good." - - - - - Pp. 486-509 



CHAPTER XVII. 

A Forgers' Raid. 

the history of the operations of brockway's gang of 
forgers in baltimore in 1880. — remarkable conspiracy 
to rob the city's great banking institutions. — the 
swindlers get away with more than §10,000 from two 

banks. pursuit and capture of the criminals. — the 

forgers in prison at last. — the drop game, pp. 510-532 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Frontispiece — Marshals op Baltimore. 

The Ducking-Stool 8 

The Pillory and Whipping-Post 9 

Old Watchman and His Box 14 

Charles Howard 31 

William H. Gatchell 35 

Charles D. Hinks 39 

Hon. George William Brown 47 

Hon. John W. Davis 51 

Samuel Hindes 55 

Nicholas L. Wood 59 

William T. Valiant 63 

James Young 63 

Lefevre Jarrett 67 

Hon. William H. B. Fusselbaugh 71 

Hon. James E. Carr 77 

Thomas W.Morse 85 

JohnMilroy 89 

Col. Harry Gilmor 93 

Oen. Jas. R Herbert 97 

Hon. George Colton 101 

Maj. J. D. Ferguson 105 

John T.Gray Ill 

Edson Marion Schryver, President of the Board of Police Commissioners 121 

Alfred J. Carr, Esq., Treasurer of the Board or Police Commissioners 127 

J. Q. A. Robson, Police Commissioner 139 

George Savage, Esq 143 

Jacob Frey, Marshal oi Police 149 

John Lannan, Deputy Marshal 177 

Kogues' Gallery 213 

William Delanty 305 

John Mitchell 305 

George W. Zimmerman 305 

Thomas F. Farnan, Captain Central District 309 

Old Middle District Station-House 314 

James H. Busick, Lieutenant Central District 320 

Frank J. Toner, Sergeant Central District 320 

James Harvey, Sergeant Central District 320 

Louis Kirsch, Sergeant Central District , 320 

xiv 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



XV 



Martin P. Schimp, Sergeant Central District 320 

William Barker, Sergeant Central District 320 

W. B. Rcve, Sergeant... Central District 320 

Henry Shoemack, Sergeant Central District 320 

William H. Frazier, Lieutenant Central District 321 

W. G. Scott, Sergeant Central District 321 

Jas. A. Nippard, Sergeant Central District 321 

Edward F. Meehan, Sergeant Central District 321 

Ambrose A. Ryan, Sergeant Central District 321 

J. J. Gilbert, Sergeant Central District 321 

Charles Reinhardt, Sergeant Central District 321 

George Clautice, Sergeant Central District 321 

Lewis W. Cadwallader, Captain Western District 327 

First Western District Station-House 334 

F. Hamilton Scott, Lieutenant Western District 338 

J. H. Clowe, Sergeant Western District 338 

William Kalbfleisch, Sergeant Western District 338 

John Driscoll, Sergeant Western District 338 

Benj. T.Allen, Sergeant Western District 338 

Philip Berger, Sergeant Western District 333 

John Joseph Fullem, Lieutenant Western District 339 

J. H. Henneman, Sergeant Western District 339 

Patrick E. Tierney, Sergeant Western District 339 

Philip Whalen, Sergeant Western District 339 

E. J. Hoffman, Sergeant Western District 339 

Benj. F. Auld, Captain Eastern District 343 

William R. Johnson, Lieutenant Eastern District 354 

Michael F. Black, Sergeant Eastern District 354 

J. Andrew Roycroft, Sergeant Eastern District 354 

Francis W. Jones, Sergeant Eastern District 354 

Daniel E. Diggs, Sergeant Eastern District 354 

Jas. K. P. Langley, Sergeant Eastern District 354 

George League, Lieutenant Eastern District 355 

Edward Schleigh, Sergeant Eastern District 355 

Henry Poole, Sergeant Eastern District 355 

Thos. T. Green, Sergeant Eastern District 355 

Thos. E. Buckless, Sergeant Eastern District 355 

Station-Housei Clerks 35S 

Charles H. Claiborne, Captain Southern District 363 

Geo. W. Aaron 367 

W. H. Cassell 367 

Benj. F. Kenney 367 

Daniel Lepson 367 

Calvin Sunstrom, Lieutenant Southern District 872 

Philip Flood, Sergeant Southern District 372 

Henry Streib, Sergeant, Southern District 



XVI ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Bernard Ward, Sergeant Southern District 372 

George Dull, Sergeant Southern Distric 372 

John A. Parks, Sergeant Southern District 372 

A. C. Blackiston, Sergeant Southern District 372 

David H. Bruchey, Lieutenant Southern District 373 

W. H. Bowen, Sergeant Southern District 373 

Louis Chaillou, Sergeant Southern District 373 

Thomas B. McGee, Sergeant Southern District 373 

Peter Kiley, Sergeant Southern District 373 

Jos. D. Collins, Sergeant Southern District 373 

Edward Schultz, Sergeant Southern District 373 

Wm. C. Bayne, Sergeant Southern District 373 

George W. Earhart, Captain North-western District 377 

Wm. McK. Watkins, Lieutenant North-western District 386 

John B. Saunders, Sergeant North-western District 386 

Cornelius L. Knott, Sergeant North-western District 386 

John A. G. Schultz, Sergeant North-western District 386 

Littleton B. Wessels, Sergeant North-western District 386 

Matthew E. Quinn, Sergeant North-western District 386 

Frank J. Flannery, Lieutenant North-western District 387 

Charles P. Dorn, Sergeant North-western District 387 

John Carlos, Sergeant North-western District 387 

Daniel H. Cline, Sergeant North-western District 387 

Theo. J. Foster, Sergeant North-western District 387 

John Baker, Captain South-western District 393 

Thomas A. Fitzgerald, Lieutenant South-western District 402 

Timothy A. Broderick, Sergeant South-western District 402 

Chas. A. Shoemaker, Sergeant South-western District 402 

Michael Lanahan, Sergeant South-western District 402 

C. H. Williamson, Sergeant South-western District 402 

Harvey P. Morhiser, Sergeant South-western District 402 

William B. Minor, Lieutenant South-western District 403 

John Butler, Sergeant South-western District 403 

Wm. T. Russell, Sergeant South-western District 403 

Peter Montague, Sergeant South-western District 403 

Henry C. Smith, Sergeant South-western District 403 

Philip J. Barber, Captain North-eastern District 407 

Daniel Shettle, Lieutenant North-eastern District 418 

Wm. J. Carrick, Sergeant North-eastern District 418 

Basil S. Wellener, Jr., Sergeant North-eastern District 418 

F. T. Crate, Sergeant North-eastern District 418 

P. F. J. Bosch, Sergeant North-eastern District 418 

Jas. H. Carroll, Lieutenant North-eastern District 419 

Thos. F. Hogan, Sergeant North-eastern District 419 

Augustus Chaillou, Sergeant ...North-eastern District 419 

George William Schafer. Sergeant .*? North-eastern District 419 



ILLUSTRATIONS. xvii 

Benj. W. York, Sergeant North-eastern District 419 

Henry Mittendorf, Sergeant North-eastern District 419 

Central Station Gymnasium 430 

In the Gymnasium Central District 435 

North-Western Gymnasium Athletes 440 

Police Athletic Club, North-eastern District Champions, 1887 451 

Central District Police Base Ball Club 457 

Police Patrol Signal Box, Baltimore and Charles Streets 465 

Police Patrol Signal Box, with Officer Signalling Station 467 

Central Station Outfit — Police Patrol Service 471 

Police Patrol Wagon Central District 475 

Police Patrol Wagon Eastern District 480 

Police Patrol Wagon Western District 482 

Bank Burglars' Outfit , 496 



ANNOUNCEMENT. 



The historical material for this work was obtained chiefly 
from the official records of the police department, though 
much information was had from other sources. 

For the early history the writer has drawn on the records of 
the legislative assemblies and city councils, other historical 
works, old guide-books, directories and papers which were 
placed at his disposal. 

To the ex-commissioners and ex-marshals who are now 
residents of Baltimore, the writer is under obligations for 
much information, and also to the present Board of Police 
Commissioners and Marshal Jacob Frey, for like assistance, as 
well as the means to verify the correctness of the work. 

The illustrations are mainly "Ives" etchings, and were 
reproduced from photographs. The groups of officers are 
from negatives from the' studio of N. H. Busey, who, with 
Jas. S. Cummins, W. Getz and others, made the photographs 
from which the portraits were obtained. 

Baltimore, January 1, 1888 



OUR POLICK. 

A HISTORY OF THE BALTIMORE FORCE FROM THE FIRST "WATCH- 
MAN TO THE LATEST APPOINTEE. 



CHAPTER I. 

Baltimore's Earliest Officers. 

(1606-1784.) 

discovert and settlement of the patapsco. "whetstone 

point " made a town and port of entry (1706). the 

town of baltimore created (1729). the early con- 
servators of the peace. — the sheriff, constables and 
public executioner. — an office not sought after. — a 
case in point where the office sought the man. — 
cruel punishments inflicted on malefactors. — brand- 
ing with irons. — the pillory, stocks and ducking-stools. 
— Baltimore's pillory and whipping-post at the old 
court house. 

Baltimore's police and Baltimore's history are inseparable. 
To treat of the former the latter must also be developed, more 
particularly where it touches and affects the rise of the police 
system, showing how the force of to-day kept pace with the 
progress of Baltimore from the time it was but a little scatter- 
ing hamlet under the cliffs and among the marshes along the 
banks of the Patapsco, down to the present, when, as a mighty 
metropolis she takes her place in the foremost rank of great 
American cities. It will be of interest to revert to those early 
days in her history and see from what small beginnings great 
results come. 

The eyes of the white man first rested on the site of Balti- 
more in 1606. In that year Captain John Smith " some time 
Governor of Virginia," made his sixth voyage of discovery 

(i) 



OUR POLICE. 



and penetrated the Patapsco river. Twenty-two years later Lord 
Baltimore cast a careless glance over the land on which it was 
destined would arise a city, the greatness of which should become 
a mighty monument to his name and fame. This was in the year 
1628, when Lord Baltimore at the time of his visit to Virginia 
explored the country now called Maryland, and which was after- 
wards, on June 20, 1632, conferred upon him by royal charter. 

In the year 1634, Leonard Calvert, who had- been appointed 
Lieutenant-General and Governor of Maryland by his brother, 
Lord Baltimore, together with another brother, George Cal- 
vert, and about two hundred colonists, arrived in the new 
province and settled at St. Mary's. 

It was not, however, until the year 1659 that any steps were 
taken towards the systematic settlement of Baltimore county, 
although it is not unlikely that some of the more adventurous 
spirits, following in the track of Captain John Smith and 
Lord Baltimore, had pushed ahead and settled about the head 
waters of the Patapsco. In the year named Baltimore county 
was established. Its limits, as then fixed, were far more 
extensive than at present and embraced all of Harford and Carroll 
counties and large portions of Anne Arundel, Howard and 
Frederick. At that time the entire population of Maryland was 
about twelve thousand and that of the newly created county but 
about two thousand. 

In the month of July, 1659, patents for land in the neigh- 
borhood of Baltimore were issued to Robert Gorsuch, Hugh 
Kensey, Richard Gorsuch, Thomas Humphreys, John Jones, 
Thomas Powell, Howell Powell, William Ball, and Walter 
Dickinson, each of whom was granted from 200 to 500 
acres. Captain Thomas Howell, Captain Thomas Stockett 
and Messrs. Henry Stockett and John Taylor, Commis- 
sioners of the county, took up patents, and on July 20, 1661, 
held a court at the house of Captain Howell who was the pre- 
siding Commissioner. Mr. John Collett was their clerk. 

Charles Gorsuch, a member of the society of Friends, was 
the next settler to take up ground, and he on February 24, 
1661, patented 50 acres. This land afterwards, on June 2, 



OUR POLICE. 3 

1702, passed into the possession of Mr. James Carroll, who 
called it '■ Whetstone Point." On the extremity of this stands 
Fort McHenry. In 1668, " Cole's Harbor," consisting of 550 
acres, divided into nearly two equal parts by the stream, 
''Jones' Falls," was granted to Thomas Cole. On this land 
the town of Baltimore was originally laid out. 

So the infant settlement continued to grow. Each year added 
new settlers to the number who took up their plantations. The 
principal planters were also merchants who traded with London 
and other ports of England, and the large plantations, with their 
groups of storehouses and other buildings, assumed the appear- 
ance and performed the office of little towns. Many of the ear- 
liest courts and councils were held in these plantations. The 
governors, privy-councillors and county court judges were all 
planters. 

For a long time " Cole's Harbor" afforded ample space for the 
accommodation of Baltimore but the settlement gradually ex- 
tended its limits until all the surrounding lands and farms, 
under various names, were finally taken into its boundaries. In 
1706, by Act of Assembly, "Whetstone Point" was made a town 
and declared a port of entry, the first within the present limits 
of Baltimore. 

The following year, " Taylor's Choice," on Gunpowder river, 
was made a town, and the county seat of Baltimore county. A 
court-house was built and the name changed to Joppa. 

Up to 1729, no name had been given the settlement upon the 
northwestern branch of the Patapsco. In that year its inhabi- 
tants emulating the example of some of their neighbors, desired 
the village to be erected into a town. " Moales Point" was first 
selected as the preferable site of the future city but the pro- 
jectors were disappointed, fortunately, in securing this location, 
the bill having that object in view being defeated in the Legisla- 
ture through the instrumentality of Mr. John Moale, a mem- 
ber and the owner of the land in question. Being excluded from 
this, the land of their choice, those interested in forming the 
new town were driven to seek the site for the future metropolis 
under the hills and amid the marshes of the northwestern branch 



4 OUR POLICE. 

of the river. Accordingly a petition was prepared for the As- 
sembly by the County Commissioners or justices, and other persons 
which, on July 14. 1729. was presented in the Upper House. 
" praying that a bill may be brought in for the building of a town 
on the north side of Patapsco river, upon the land supposed to 
belong to Messrs. Charles and Daniel Carroll." On August v . 
1729. the bill prayed for became a law under this title. 
" An Act for erecting a town on the north side of Patapsco. in 
Baltimore county, and for laying out in lots, sixty acres of land, 
in and about the place where one John Fleming now lives." 

The commissioners appointed to lay out the town were Major 
Thomas Tolley. William Hamilton. William Buckner. Dr. George 
Walker. Richard Gist. Dr. George Buchanan and Colonel Wil- 
liam Hammond. They were all justices of the county except Dr. 
Walker. These commissioners were practically appointed for life, 
as they were empowered to fill their own vacancies. They were 
authorized to purchase sixty acres of land on the tract known as 
" Cole's Harbor." and to lay out the same into sixty equal lots 
to be erected into a town. In January of the following year this 
was done and the commissioners, assisted by Philip Jones the 
county surveyor, laid off the town, whose original bounds made 
the form of an ancient lyre. 

The town was divided by Long, now called Baltimore street, 
which was intersected at right-angles by Calvert street, then not 
named; and Forrest street now Charles street. There were 
alsc six lanes, which are now South. Second, Light. Hanover and 
Belvidere streets, and three other lanes which retain their 
original names of Lovely. St. Paul and German streets. 

On January 14. the office of the commissioners was opened 
for " taker's-up," the proprietor. Mr. Carroll, choosing lot No. 
49 on the east side of Calvert street, next the river bank. Mr. 
Gist taking one on the opposite side of Calvert street. Among 
the others taking lots were Messrs. Walker. Jones. Jackson. 
Hammond. Price. Buckner. Sheridine. Powell. Ridgely, Trotten. 
North. Hewitt. Gorsuch. and Harris — all inhabitants of the 
vicinity. Thus was the embryo city started upon its career. 

The peace and good order of the new town was for many years 



OUR POLICE. 5> 

entrusted wholly to the officers charged with that duty throughout 
the county. These were Commissioners of the County or Justices 
of the Peace, and were also Justices of the County Court ; a 
tithing-man in each manor, a constable in each hundred, a sheriff 
and coroner in the county and a public executioner for inflicting 
all corporal correction and punishment. 

The Justices of the Peace or Commissioners of the County, 
terms used synonymously, forming the County Court, were 
appointed by the Lord Proprietary or in his absence by his 
Lieutenant-General. The tithing-man, whose duties were those 
of a petty constable, was appointed by the Lord of the Manor, 
and the High Constables of every hundred by the Commander 
of the hundred. It was the duty of the constable to execute 
all precepts and warrants to him directed, and had in all 
things "the like power and authority within the said hundred as a 
high constable of any hundred in England hath or ought to have 
within his hundred by the law or custom of England." A refusal 
to serve incurred the forfeiture of five hundred pounds of tobacco, 
the currency of those days. The Chief Judge of the County 
Court appointed the sheriff and coroner of the county, one person 
discharging the functions of both offices. The penalty of 
a refusal to discharge these responsible duties was the forfeiture 
of two thousand pounds of tobacco. The appointment to the 
■least desirable office within the county, that of public execu- 
tioner, was thus provided for: "And the said sheriff shall choose 
one of ids servants (and in case he hath no servant to accept 
thereof, the Lieutenant-General and Council shall appoint some 
person) for the execution of all corporal correction, shame or 
other punishment to be inflicted on the body or person of any 
one ; and if the person so chosen and appointed by the Lieuten- 
ant-General and Council shall refuse to execute the said office, 
the Lieutenant-General, upon complaint thereof made unto him, 
shall or may censure (a term applied to the speech of the Judge 
in giving his judgment in any criminal case) the person so re- 
fusing by corporal shame or correction as he shall think fit." 

That it was difficult to fill this office notwithstanding the pains 
and penalties attached to a refusal, appears by the following. 



6 OUR POLICE. 

where a malefactor is appointed to the post as one of the punish- 
ments for his crimes. 

The Assemby in addition to its legislative powers sometimes 
exercised judicial functions. At one of the early sessions of that 
body the Secretary of State had, on the first day of the session, 
issued his writ to the "Sheriff of St. Mary's," to "have the 
body of John Dandie, smith, before the House of Assembly at 
nine of the clock this morning, to answer such crimes as on his 
lordship's behalf shall be objected against him." What these 
"crimes'' were does not appear, but sentence of death 
was passed upon the unlucky smith. On May 10, "upon 
the petition of a great part of the colony for the pardoning 
of Dandie, the Governor exchanged the sentence of death 
into three years service to the Lord Proprietary; where- 
with the said Dandie was well content" — the record gravely 
concludes. By a subsequent document, a further pardon 
for John Dandie, it appears that in addition to his three years 
service, one of the conditions attached to the commutation of his 
death sentence was that he act as public executioner, the record 
reading as follows: "Amongst other penalties he was adjudged 
to be a public executioner within this province, but, for his good 
service and particular fidelity to Governor Calvert, he was thereby 
remitted from all former penalties whatsoever." 

A disinclination to perform the duties of the public executioner 
is not surprising when some of the penalties to be inflicted upon 
transgressors in those days are known. By "An Act for felo- 
nies," introduced into the Assembly in 1639, the following 
offences were to be adjudged felonies, punishable with death : 
"Homicide; bloodshed, committed by assault upon the person 
of the Lieutenant-General ; to shed the blood of any Judge sit- 
ting in Court ; burglary, robbery, polygamy, sacrilege, sorcery, 
petit treason and rape." It was also made "felony within this 
province to commit idolatry, which is the worshipping of a false 
god;" or to commit "blasphemy, which is a cursed or wicked 
speaking of God ;" or "to sell, give, or deliver to any Indian, or 
to any other declared or professed enemy of the province, any 
gun, pistol, powder or shot, without the knowledge or license of 



OUR POLICE. ( 

the Lieutenant-General, or to teach any Indian or other declared 
enemy of the province the use of the said arms or the making 
thereof." 

The offender in any of these felonies was to suffer the pains of 
death by hanging and forfeit to the Lord Proprietary all the 
lands in the province whereof he was seized at the time the offence 
was committed and all goods and chattels which he possessed at 
the time of his conviction: " Provided," the law goes on to state, 
" that in petit treason the punishment of death shall be inflicted 
by drawing and hanging of a man and by burning of a woman ; 
and in sorcery, blasphemy and idolatry by burning." Accessories 
before the fact were to be punished as principals. 

Of the minor offences, the Justices of the Peace were given 
jurisdiction and the power to deal with the offenders summarily. 
Among these was " withdrawing one's self out- of an English 
plantation to inhabit or reside among any Indians not chris- 
tened," for which the offender could be imprisoned until he found 
" security to perform the order of the Judge therein." Swearing 
was punished by a fine of five pounds of tobacco or one shilling, 
sterling; drunkenness, "which is drinking with excess to the 
notable perturbation of any organ of sense or motion," entailed 
a fine of thirty pounds of tobacco or five shillings, sterling, " or 
otherwise shall be whipped, or by some other corporal shame or 
punishment corrected for every such excess, at the discretion of 
the Judge." 

The law of 1728, which embodied the substance of several 
previous laws on the subject of blasphemy, provided that the 
offender who should be convicted of this crime, consisting of 
wittingly, maliciously and advisedly, by writing or speech, blas- 
pheming or cursing God or denying the Saviour's divinity, the 
Trinity of the Godhead of any of the three Persons, or their 
unity, or uttering any profane words about the Trinity, should 
be bored through the tongue and fined X20 or imprisoned for 
six months for the first offence ; for the second offence be 
branded "B" in the forehead and fined <£40, or imprisoned 
one year; and for the third offence death. Coiners (coun- 
terfeiters) were to be whipped, pilloried and cropped for 



8 



OUR POLICE. 



the first offence ; for the second, to be branded in the cheek 
and banished. Cursing or profane swearing in the pres- 
ence of any magistrate or other public officer, was to be punished 
with a fine of 2s. 6d. for the first oath and 5s. for every succeed- 
ing oath. Persons drunk in the presence of magistrates or other 
public officers were fined 5s. If these fines were not paid the of- 
fender was put in the stocks for three hours for each offence, 
or received not exceeding thirty-nine lashes. Horse-stealing was 




THE DUCKING-STOOL. 

punished with death, as were burglaries of dwellings, warehouses 
or tobacco houses. The penalty for Sabbath breaking was a fine 
of two hundred pounds of tobacco and where the offender kept 
an ordinary, a fine of two thousand pounds. Forgeries or any 
sort of falsification in connection with the inspection of tobacco 
were punished with thirty-nine lashes and two hours in the pillory. 
In 1663, an Act was passed providing irons for burning male- 
factors and for erecting a pillory, stocks, and ducking-stool j in 



OUR POLICE. 9 

each county. The ducking-stool for scolding women was, how- 
ever, abandoned in 1676, that section of the Act being repealed; 
but the stocks, the pillory, the whipping-post, with its handcuffs 
and the branding-iron, long remained "institutions" of the time. 
In fact, the stocks, the pillory and the gibbet did not pass out 
of vogue in Maryland until about 1810 when the penitentiary 
system was adopted, About 1770 all of the cruel punishments 
named above were used. Offenders were publicly exposed in the 




THE PILLORY AND WHIPPING-POST. 



most frequented thoroughfares ; their ears nailed to the pillory 
and cut off, the malefactors being whipped afterwards through 
the public streets ; the tongue bored with a red hot iron or 
the nose slit, or the person branded with the initial letter of the 
offense for which he suffered. Thus, "S. L.," branded on 
either cheek, indicated that the culprit was so marked for being 
a " seditious libeller" ; wi M " meant manslaughter ; " T " on the 
left hand, thief"; "R" on the shoulder, rogue and vagabond 
and a P" on the forehead, perjury. The most general form of 



10 OUR POLICE. 

whipping was what was called " flogging at the cart's tail " when 
the criminal was tied to the back of a cart, slowly driven, and 
flogged through the town by the public executioner. Of course, 
the spectacle was attended by crowds acting as a noisy escort. 
In 1748 an old and gray-headed man who was convicted of blas- 
phemy at Baltimore County Assizes, had his tongue bored 
through and was sentenced to remain in jail until the fine of 
.£20 was paid. 

In Baltimore was located the last pillory and whipping-post in 
Maryland. They were on the spot where the Battle Monu- 
ment now stands, forming in fact one of the main posts of 
the underpinning of the old court house. Underneath this 
building, one above the other, was the pillory and whipping- 
post, — a two-storied instrument of justice. It was here, in 1819, 
the last man was pilloried in Maryland. The last public 
whipping in this State, previous to the recent wife-beating law, 
was of a postmaster, convicted in the United States Court at Anna- 
polis of tampering with the mails. There being no whipping- 
post at the time in the town, the culprit was tied up to one of the 
columns under the portico of the State House and the punish- 
ment inflicted. 

The new town had no police supervision independent of the 
county officers of Baltimore County for many years. The powers 
of the commissioners appointed in 1729 were enlarged by Acts of 
Assembly until they had control of purely local affairs. Thomas 
Long, in 1687, was the first Sheriff of Baltimore County. In 
1705 Acquilla Paca was Sheriff, and he was succeeded by Francis 
Dalahide in the following year. In 1682 John Boring was 
Presiding Justice of the County Court, but in 1708 Colonel 
James Maxwell assumed the office, and so continued twenty years. 
During this time the Sheriff's office was filled successively by 
James Presbury, John Dorsey, John Stokes, Edward Hall, 
Francis Holland and William Smith. In September, 1745, the 
assembly consolidated Jones town and Baltimore town under the 
name of the latter. The bridge over Jones Falls was declared 
public and was to be kept at the charge of Baltimore county. 
Seven commissioners were appointed with enlarged power* ; they 



OUR POLICE. 11 

were Mayor Thomas Sheredine, Doctor George Buchanan, Cap- 
tain Robert North, Colonel William Hammond, Captain Darby 
Lux and Messrs. Thomas Harrison and William Fell. They 
were empowered to enforce the former Act of Assembly relating 
to the towns, have them carefully surveyed and the lots 
bounded and numbered. Then came the building of a fence 
about the town in order to keep swine and geese from the 
streets, one of the first precautions against nuisances ever taken 
by the town ; but these fences speedily disappeared, because in 
1750 there was an excessively cold winter and the logs of which 
the palisade was composed were burned for fuel. The town grew 
gradually, adding to itself one by one the necessities of a settle- 
ment. Near the court house, which has been already referred 
to, was erected the jail. This building was two stories high, built 
of stone, and was used until 1802. The sanitary condition of 
this jail seems to have been sadly neglected within the next few 
years. It is recorded that the American Congress, in 1776, 
then in session in Philadelphia, upon the approach of the royal 
troops towards the Delaware adjourned to Baltimore. At their 
first meeting in this city, a resolution was passed declaring " that 
the apartments in the jail of the town of Baltimore be repaired 
and put in such a condition as not to endanger the health of 
those who may be confined in them ; and the prisoners from the 
State of North Carolina be removed thence to different rooms in 
the court house, or wherever else they can be procured and there 
safely locked up and secured." 

As Baltimore developed into a flourishing community evil 
doers were attracted to it, and if the statements of one of its 
citizens over the signature " Philodemus," made in a communi- 
cation to the Maryland Journal and The Baltimore Advertiser, 
(now the Baltimore American) on September 9, 1773, are to be 
relied upon, the town was very much in need of police protection. 
This is an extract from the letter: " The late frequent robberies 
must certainly alarm every trading inhabitant in this town and 
set them on their guard against the nocturnal meetings of 
hardened villains who thirst after the well earned property of 
the honest and upright dealer." lie then goes on to tell of the 



12 OUR POLICE. 

peculiar wickedness of one Monsieur Mercier, a Frenchman, 
and afterwards continues : "I must here beg leave to animadvert 
on the apparent neglect of our petty officers of the peace, who, if 
I mistake not, are obligated by their oath to be watchful and 
diligent, to preserve good order in our streets and to disperse 
all idle and tumultuous assemblies, at which blasphemy and vice 
usually preside. I have often observed, with horror, the numer- 
ous conventicles of iniquity held in and about our market house, 
chiefly on the Sabbath day, even in the hours of divine service, 
by a gang of idle vagrants, who, despising all the duties of 
religion, employ the time set apart for prayer in acts of a most 
heinous nature, viz. : cursing, swearing, drunkenness, and de- 
bauchery. May we not reasonably conclude that the day spent 
in so riotous and unhallowed a manner will be succeeded by 
midnight robbery and plunder." The way to remedy these 
evils in the writer's opinion, was the establishment of a watch 
and lighting the streets in the night time. 

" I cannot conclude," he adds, " without expressing my most 
sanguine wishes that the inhabitants of the town, heartily uniting 
in a common cause, would generously set on foot and strenuously 
exert themselves to promote an ample subscription for erecting 
lamps at proper distances in our streets and constituting a 
body of vigorous, trusty watchmen, for the public convenience 
and security in the ensuing winter. A scheme of such utility 
will, I hope, meet with immediate notice and when executed 
must assuredly be attended with the most happy consequences." 

It was the custom in the early days, to sell convicts as servants, 
to the highest bidder, in order to reimburse the county for the 
expense of convicting them. There seems to have been a glut 
in the slave market in 1775, as the sheriff of Baltimore announced 
a sale at public auction, "without reserve. 1 ' This advertisement, 
in the Maryland Journal, reads as follows : 

Baltimore, June 14, 1775. 
"On Saturday, the 24th instant, will be sold by Public Vendue, 
at the Prison of this County, A XOIBER OF CRIMINALS, for pay- 
ment of their Fees. I will give indentures on them for a term not exceeding 
five years, according to the sums they are indebted. I am determined to dis- 
pose of their times for whatever sums they will fetch, be they more or less, which 



OUR POLICE. 13 

I expect will induce persons to purchase, as they will probably go off slower 
than other servants. 

" ROBERT CHRISTIE, Jun., Sheriff. 

" N. B. — Those who are inclined to purchase before the day of sale may 
apply at the sheriff's office." 

These convicts were not particularly trustworthy servants, as 
they were more bent upon securing their liberty than serving 
their masters. It was not until two years after the appeal was 
made for some action on the part of the citizens towards estab- 
lishing a watch in Baltimore, that any steps were taken towards 
a systematic policing of the town. In 1775, however, a town- 
meeting was held with the object of taking measures to establish 
a night-watch. Each male inhabitant capable of duty under this 
organization, signed an agreement, by which he bound himself 
to conform to the police regulations adopted by the general meet- 
ing of the citizens and sanctioned by the commissioners, and to 
attend personally when summoned to serve as a watchman, or 
provide a substitute acceptable to the committee. This commit- 
tee had some of the functions of the present Board of Police Com- 
missioners. The town was divided into districts and in each of 
these was stationed a company commanded by a captain of the 
watch. The first captains of the watch, or police, of Baltimore, 
under this primitive arrangement, were James Calhoun, captain 
of the First District; George Woolsey, Second District; Benja- 
min Griffith, Third District; Barnet Eichelberger, Fourth Dis- 
trict; George Lindenberger, Fifth District; and William Goodwin, 
of the Sixth District. At Fell's Point, Isaac Vanbidder was 
captain, with two assistants or lieutenants. Each captain had 
under his command a squad of sixteen men, every inhabitant 
being enrolled and taking his turn. The streets were patrolled 
by these watchmen from 10 P. M. until daybreak, the patrols 
calling aloud the time each quarter of an hour. This was a force 
amply sufficient to look after the safety of the town had all its 
members done their duty. But as there was no legal obligation the 
force soon became inefficient. It was not long before the neces- 
sities of the town demanded a regularly salaried guard and in 
1784 the legislature authorized the town commissioners to organize 



14 



OUR POLICE. 



and control a police or regular night-watch. One of the most 
congenial duties of these men at about this time was the an- 
nouncement, in addition to the naming of the hour, of the sur- 
render of Lord Cornwallis. One can imagine with what a 
sonorous and exultant cry they sang out: "Three — o'clock, — 
and Cornwallis is ta — ka — en": for by those watchmen the good 
news was first announced to Baltimore. 




OLD WATCHMAN. 



OUR POLICE. 15 

CHAPTER II 

(1784-1853.) 

THE GUARDIANS OF THE TOWN ORGANIZED BY LEGISLATIVE 
ENACTMENT. — ALL MANNER OF TAXES TO SUPPORT THE PEACE 

OFFICERS. AT THE CLOSE OF THE REVOLUTION. BALTIMORE 

BECOMES A CITY. — INCREASING THE NUMBER OF WATCHMEN. — 
ESTABLISHMENT OF WATCH-HOUSES AND ERECTION OF CELLS. — 
THE POLICE FORCE IN 1848. 

The history of the Baltimore Police as a thoroughly organized 
force of men to guard the city dates from the Act of 1784, and 
because this organization forms such an important epoch in the 
history of "Our Police" a rather full quotation of the Act which 
empowered it will be of interest ; it is entitled "An Act for the 
Establishment and Regulation of a Night Watch and the erection 
of lamps in Baltimore town, in Baltimore County." 

The preamble refers to the necessity of providing the night 
watch and then the Act goes on to empower the commissioners 
of the town, or a major part of them, to meet at such times and 
places as they should think proper and to provide for everything 
necessary for the proper lighting of the town. Subsequently the 
Act empowers the commissioners from time to time " to order, 
appoint, hire and employ as many watchmen as they shall judge 
necessary, and shall then and there direct and order what wages 
shall be given them, and if any of the said watchmen die within 
the time for which they were appointed, be negligent in 
their duty or be guilty of any misbehavior, it shall and may be 
lawful for the commissioners aforesaid, or a major part of them, 
at any intermediate time of the year, to remove any of the said 
watchmen so appointed, and to employ, hire and appoint one or 
more persons, fitly qualified, in the room and stead of him or 
them so dying, neglecting duty, or misbehaving as aforesaid." 
The Act also conferred upon the commissioners all the powers 
and jurisdictions of justices of the peace ; and they could appoint 



16 OUR POLICE. 

any number of persons to be constables provided tliey were of 
good character. The said officials were instructed " as soon 
as they conveniently can direct and set down in writing, at what 
stands it is fit for the said watchman to be placed; how often they 
shall go the rounds, and also appoint the rounds each watchman 
is to go, and shall from time to time, make such further and 
other orders and regulations for the better government of the said 
watchmen as the nature of the case may require." The com- 
missioners were not to be let off with this but were directed to 
furnish a copy of all their transactions affecting their subordinates 
to the watchmen. One or more of the constables was required 
to attend to the court house, or some other convenient place to 
be designated by the commissioners, and keep watch from Sep- 
tember 10 to March 10, in every year, from eight o'clock in the 
evening to six o'clock in the morning; and during the remaining 
six months from nine o'clock in the evening to four o'clock in the 
morning; "and the constables shall," the text continues, "in their 
several turns and courses of watching, use their best endeavors to 
prevent fires, murders, burglaries, robberies, and other outrages 
and disorders within said time, and to that end shall, and they are 
hereby empowered, directed and required to arrest and apprehend 
all night-walkers, malefactors and other suspected persons, who 
shall be found wandering and misbehaving themselves, and shall 
carry the persons so apprehended as soon as they conveniently can 
before one or more justices of the peace or a commissioner in said 
town to be examined and dealt with according to law; and shall 
once or oftener at convenient times of the night, go about the 
several stands in said town, and shall take notice whether the 
watchmen perform their duties in their several stations, according 
to the regulations made for that purpose." In case any watchman 
neglected his duty, the constable was required to immediately 
notify the commissioners, that the watchman might be " admon- 
ished or discharged." The constables were to observe all regula- 
tions formulated by the town officers, and in case of their misbe- 
havior or neglect they could be admonished or discharged as 
peremptorily as the watchmen. The constables' compensation 
for night duty was fixed by the commissioners. If any constable 



OUR POLICE. 17 

neglected his turn to keep watch at the hours appointed by the 
act, or did not watch full time> or did not visit the various stands 
at least once every night, he was fined twenty shillings. 

The watchmen were given the same powers of arrest as the 
constables. In case any fire broke out, or in any other great 
emergency, they were required to alarm each other and then 
arouse the inhabitants in their respective rounds, " which when 
done," the act adds, "they shall repair to their respective stands, 
the better to discover any other fire that may happen, as well as 
to prevent any burglaries, robberies, outrages, or disorders ; and 
to apprehend any suspected persons, who, in such times of con- 
fusion, may be feloniously carrying off the goods and effects of 
others." The watchmen were then formally given all the powers 
exercised by the constables. 

Among the early freaks of Baltimore's young men was that of 
smashing lamps, and the Legislature when it provided for the 
erection of lamps sought to control this destruction by declaring, 
that "if any person shall wilfully or maliciously break, throw 
down, destroy, or extinguish any lamps that shall be hung up to 
light the streets, lanes, or alleys in said town, or shall wilfully 
damage the posts, irons, sentry boxes, or other furniture thereof, 
every person so offending, and being convicted by the oath or 
affirmation (a recognition of the Quakers) of one or more credible 
witnesses before any commissioner or justice of the peace of said 
town, shall forfeit and pay three pounds for each and every such 
offence." If a lamp was broken unintentionally the unfortunate 
one could, by giving notice of the damage within twelve hours 
to the commmissioners, escape further penalty than paying the 
cost of repairs. When any slave was found guilty of smashing 
or injuring lamps he was given thirty-nine lashes on his bare 
back, unless his owner paid the fine or repaired the damage. 
The arrest of these opponents of former street lighting gave the 
constables and watch much to do, and then, as now, the post of 
policeman was no sinecure. The pay of the men was secured by 
the town commissioners levying a tax, " not exceeding one shilling 
and six pence, current money, on every hundred pounds worth of 
property assessed within the said town." But this tax also 



18 OUR POLICE. 

included the necessary expenditures for the erection of street 
lamps. This memorable law was, according to the terms, to 
continue in force for three years. It was given new life in 1787 
and in 1795, by legislative action ; and in 1796 declared to be a 
perpetual law, subject to such alterations as might be made by 
the corporation or the legislature. The powers of the act and 
such others as related to the town's guardians were formally 
bestowed upon the " Corporation of the City of Baltimore." 

This act of 1784 seems to have met every requirement for the 
protection of good citizens for a number of years, and so peace- 
able and orderly were the inhabitants that but three constables 
were needed during business hours and only fourteen watchmen 
at night. In 1792 the amount of tax levied proved to be inade- 
quate to support a necessarily increased force of constables and 
watchmen and so the town officials thought a house tax would 
supply the deficiency. This was levied, but the citizens were not 
slow in showing their distaste for this measure and the tax was 
repealed, a general assessment being collected for the payment of 
the peace officers. In 1793 an important change was made in the 
act of 1784, when the legislature deprived the town commisioners 
of their authority in police matters. The justices of the Court 
of Oyer and Terminer, which then administered the criminal law 
for Baltimore County, were authorized to appoint the constables 
and watchmen and assess the county with the expense of their 
employment. They were also authorized to levy a dog tax, "not 
exceeding seven shillings and sixpence on every dog belonging 
to any inhabitant of said town," to part defray the expenses of 
the watch. During this administration by the magistrates, assist- 
ant justices were employed to attend the station-houses and 
dispose of the peace cases. An extract from the county comp- 
troller's report, dated December 15, 1796, shows the amount paid 
to these assistant justices and constables for their attendance in 
weekly rotation at the stations and for superintending the nightly- 
watch. Some of its items are : "Paid to assistant justices, =£182 
10s.; allowance to twenty-two constables for their attendance on the 
court, taking up vagrants and disorderly persons, and serving 
criminal processes, .£198 10s. 3d. ; wages paid five captains and 



OUR POLICE. 19 

forty-four privates for the Baltimore night-watch from October 1, 
1796, including fire^wood, candles and house rent for the Fell's 
Point watch, XI, 905 0s. 4d." The same report shows that 
XI, 597 10s. had been paid a for erecting and lighting three 
hundred fire lamps." By this time lamps had been erected in 
various parts of the town and thenceforth their number was 
steadily increased. 

The Revolutionary war ended, leaving Baltimore a prosperous 
and rapidly-growing town. Its population had greatly increased, 
its ofiicers had established a regular watch, its streets were lighted 
and its inhabitants were no longer content to continue as an un- 
incorporated community ; so a town meeting was called in 1784 
to consider whether it would not be expedient to apply to the 
Legislature to incorporate the town. This meeting did not have 
result, but two years later an attempt was made to remove the 
State capitol from Annapolis to this city. The attempt was 
defeated, however, in the Legislature by a vote of twenty ayes to 
thirty-two noes. In December, 1793, the Assembly was induced 
to pass a conditional bill of incorporation " to erect Baltimore 
Town, in Baltimore County, into a city, and to incorporate the 
inhabitants thereof." 

But this enactment provided that it should go into effect on 
January 1, 1795, " if the same should be confirmed by the Gen- 
eral Assembly at their session in November, 1794." This the 
Legislature failed to do, and the desired incorporation again 
failed. Persistency, however, won the day, and on December 
31, 1796, after a succession of failures, the cherished object was 
attained. The new city was divided into eight wards, each con- 
taining nearly an equal number of inhabitants. This division 
was to continue, the boundaries being readjusted from time to 
time to secure fair representation according to the population, 
until the number of inhabitants reached 40,000, when the city 
' should be divided into fifteen wards. The Council was to consist 
of two branches, — the First and Second. The First was to consist 
of two members from each ward, and in the Second, each ward 
was represented by one. The corporation was given power to 
establish night-watches and patrols and to erect lamps in the 



20 OUR POLICE. 

lanes, streets and alleys. The act of November, 1T84, regu- 
lating the night-watch, was declared to be a perpetual law, sub- 
ject only to such alterations, amendments and revisions as might 
be enacted by the corporation or the State Legislature. 

On January 16, 1797, councilmen to the Second Branch were 
chosen by ballot and electors selected to elect a mayor. These 
electors met on February 20, following, and chose James Cal- 
houn first Mayor of Baltimore, and the members of the First 
Branch of the Council. The Mayor called the City Councils 
together at the court house on February 27, to enact such laws 
under the act of incorporation as they thought proper for the 
city government. 

The first ordinance passed by the councils affecting the police 
was approved on April 3, 1797. It provided that three persons 
should be appointed commissioners of the watch, and to super- 
vise the lighting of the city. They were authorized to employ 
for one year "as many captains and watchmen as have been 
employed in the night watch the year past ' ' for the same remu- 
neration. The commissioners were also required to take security 
from the captains and watchmen for their good behavior, to pre- 
scribe regulations for their government, and to define their hours 
of duty. The assistant justice of the County Court was em- 
powered to receive the report and superintend the conduct of the 
watch. An officer known as the city or high constable, was 
created by the ordinance of March 19, 1798. It was his duty "to 
walk through the streets, lanes and alleys of the city daily, with 
mace in hand, taking such rounds, that within a reasonable 
time he shall visit all parts of the city and give information to 
the mayor or other magistrate, of all nuisances within the city, 
and all obstructions and impediments in the streets, lanes, and 
alleys, and of all offences committed against the laws and ordi- 
nances." He was also required to report the names of the 
offenders against any ordinance and the names of the witnesses 
who could sustain the prosecutions against them, and regard the 
mayor as his chief. The yearly salary of the city constable was 
fixed at §350, and he was required to give a bond for the per- 
formance of his duty. The value of such an officer was soon 



OUR POLICE. 21 

proved, but the territory which he had to cover was too extensive 
for him to properly discharge his duty and the councils, by an 
ordinance of February 26, 1799, authorized the appointment 
of a city constable in each ward. This ward constable was thus 
a policeman, and the term of city constable was not properly 
his although his duties were defined by the ordinance to be the 
same as those of the city or high constable. 

Notwithstanding Baltimore had secured an organized police 
force, and the corporation had the fullest powers to enforce an 
observance of the laws, when the nineteenth century began, the 
citizens were inclined to be somewhat unruly. Affairs became 
so unmanageable, that in 1801 a town meeting was held for the 
purpose of devising some plan for preventing the frequent thefts, 
robberies, disturbances and fires that had become so common. 
The town was the rendezvous of a number of evil characters ; 
but this was not surprising as the new city had made remarkable 
increase in population. A census taken in the year 1800, showed 
that Baltimore then had 81,514 inhabitants, an increase of 18,011 
in ten years. At this meeting a committee of three persons from 
each ward was appointed to plan a reorganization of the night- 
watch. At a subsequent assembly on April 30, this committee 
advised that the patrol be increased. The recommendation was 
approved, and by the vigilance of the watchmen disorder was 
suppressed for a time. On March 9, 1807, a general ordinance 
was passed defining the duties of the city commissioners. They 
were given large powers. Among other things, with the Mayor 
they were authorized to employ as many captains, officers and 
watchmen as they might, from time to time, find necessary, but 
the expense should not exceed the annual appropriation for the 
service. The board was also required to make regulations and 
define the hours of duty of the watch ; see that they attended to 
their duties with punctuality, receive their reports and cause them 
to be returned to the Mayor's office. 

It may have been that the commissioners, to whom, with the 
Mayor, the control of police matters was entrusted, were ham- 
pered by the proviso that the expense should not exceed the an- 
nual appropriation ; but whatever the cause, within only a few 
years Baltimore again had cause to complain of its police protection. 



22 OUR POLICE. 

In 1810 ward meetings were held and representatives were ap- 
pointed to a general meeting. At this a plan was proposed and 
adopted for the reorganization of the watch, which was also 
adopted by the authorities. A sub-committee was appointed to 
which was given general control of the organization. Under this 
scheme there were thirty captains, each being responsible for a 
territory distinctly defined, and each captain had under him a 
squad of eight men, thus making in all a force of two hundred 
and seventy police. This system remained in operation for more 
than twenty-five years. By an act of the Legislature in 1812, 
the Mayor was empowered to appoint, as he found it necessary, 
not less than twenty-five nor more than one hundred bailiffs to 
aid in preserving the peace. The Mayor was also directed to 
prescribe the duties, designate the badges and weapons and pro- 
vide for the compensation of these bailiffs so as to best secure 
the objects of their appointment. 

On March 9, 1826, the Mayor was given control of the police 
of the city by an ordinance which provided that there should be 
appointed, annually, two captains and two lieutenants of the 
watch for the Eastern District ; two captains and four lieutenants 
of the watch for the Middle District and two captains and 
two lieutenants of the watch for the Western District. They 
were expected to perform such duties as the Mayor might, from 
time to time, direct. The latter was also given power to appoint 
as he chose any number of watchmen and to dismiss them at his 
pleasure. He was also to prescribe their duties. A " Supple- 
ment " to this ordinance, which was passed on March 9, 1835, 
provided for the appointment of twelve lieutenants of the watch, 
constituted policemen " to preserve the peace, maintain the 
laws and advance the good government of the city." These 
lieutenants were required to reside in certain districts by the 
Mayor and have conspicuous signs on their houses bearing their 
names and office. In addition to their police duties, they were 
required to act as city bailiffs about the markets, Their com- 
pensation was fixed at §20 a month for their night work as 
lieutenants of the watch and they received an additional sum of 
$220 a year for the services mentioned by the ordinance. 

At about this time watch houses were built in various parts of 



OUR POLICE. 23 

the city. The Middle District was located at Saratoga and 
Holliday streets; the Western District in Green street near 
Baltimore and in Belvidere street. The last named watch house 
had a belfry, and in April, 1835, an appropriation was made for 
a similar addition to the Green street watch house ; and in this 
year Mayor Jesse Hunt took occasion to call the attention of the 
councils to the " lamentably defective" police arrangements of 
the city. In March, 1836 the compensation of the watchmen 
was increased to $1 for each night they served. On May 22, 
1838, the councils substantially re-enacted the ordinance of 1835, 
providing, however, that if any watchman while in the perform- 
ance of his duty should be wounded or maimed he should receive 
half-pay during the continuance of his disability, or for a period 
not exceeding two months. They were also paid for attendance 
at court. This ordinance provided as well for the annual appoint- 
ment of three justices of the peace to receive the reports of the 
night-watch. One of these justices was required to reside in 
each district. The yearly salary of each was $100. In 1843 two 
cells were put in the Western watch house while in the Eastern 
house there was but one. In the same year the Baltimore Sun 
declared that the custom of the watch calling the time notified 
thieves of the locality of the patrol and gave the former an 
opportunity of safely conducting their operations. This custom 
was consequently abandoned. The Southern District was estab- 
lished under an ordinance dated on February 18, 1845. Two cap- 
tains and four lieutenants were appointed for it, and the bounda- 
ries of the other districts were rearranged. The Baltimore police, 
as constituted in 1848, consisted in the daytime of one high con- 
stable, one regular policeman for each ward, who was also lieu- 
tenant of the night-watch in his district, and the night watch- 
men. Besides these there were two extra policemen for each 
ward, who were called into service as occasion required. This 
system of day police was changed from time to time to keep pace 
with the increase in the number of wards in the city, until the 
wards numbered twenty. There was, however, no material altera- 
tion in the system until 1857, when a complete reorganization 
took place under the authority of an act of the Legislature passed 
in 1853. 



24 OUR POLICE. 



CHAPTER III. 

(1853-1860.) 

THE REORGANIZATION OF THE FORCE. — THE DUTIES OF ITS 

OFFICERS. FOUR POLICE DISTRICTS AND THREE HUNDRED 

AND FIFTY PATROLMEN. NO LONGER HIGH CONSTABLE, BUT 

MARSHAL. FIRST POLICE HEADQUARTERS. THE PAY AND 

UNIFORM. — THE POLICE AND THE MAGISTRATES. — NO PUNISH- 
MENT OF CRIME. — THE REORGANIZATION OF 1860. — MARSHAL 
KANE AND HIS ADMINISTRATION. 

The next important change was made under the provisions of 
this act ; the ordinance of January 1, 1857, introduced an en- 
tirely new order of things, and placed Baltimore's Department 
of Police on practically the same footing as those of the other 
large cities of the country. It declared that after March 1, 
1857, the existing watch and police systems should be abolished, 
and all ordinances for the establishment and regulation of the 
same be repealed. The new force consisted of one marshal, one 
deputy marshal, eight captains, eight lieutenants, twenty-four 
sergeants, three hundred and fifty police officers, five detective 
police officers and eight turnkeys. The men were required to 
do duty day and night, and were given all the powers then 
vested by law in the city bailiffs, police officers, constables and 
watchmen. The city was divided into four police districts, whose 
stations were at the watch-houses. The Marshal, with the con- 
currence of the Mayor, was given authority to establish the 
limits of the stations, divide them into beats, making allowance 
for a proper force to retain at the station houses. He had power 
also to alter at will the limits of the districts and beats. 

The Legislature of the State took memorable action on March 
16, 1853, in passing a bill to " provide for the better security 
for life and property in the City of Baltimore." This enact- 
ment empowered the Mayor and the City Councils to increase, 



OUR POLICE. 25 

and in every way strengthen the police, whether officers, bailiffs, 
night-watchmen, or in any way connected with the organization 
of the force. When any of these guardians of the peace were 
injured either in person or apparel, while in the discharge of 
his duties, the act required that he be fairly indemnified. This 
statute also provided that the police force should be armed, that a 
commission and badge be furnished each member, and that it 
should be no defence for any one who resisted or assaulted an 
officer to claim that his commission or badge was not exhibited. 
This statute repealed the act of 1812. It was provided, too, that 
the Marshal should be annually appointed and be regarded as the 
head of the police. He was given entire control of its officers 
and members, subject to the authority of the Mayor. He might 
at any time make rules and regulations for the government of 
the force not inconsistent with the city's ordinances, and was 
required to report to the Mayor every day all that he was re- 
quired to notice in discharge of his duty, the members of the 
force he had suspended, the men unfit for duty, and to deliver 
the reports and muster-rolls of the captains. In any emergency 
he had authority to direct the whole police force, or any part of 
it, to serve at any place in the city. An office was provided for 
this new official in the central part of the city, and he was allowed 
a secretary, to be appointed by the Mayor and City Councils ; a 
bond for $5,000 being required from him for the faithful perform- 
ance of his duties. 

The secretary to the Marshal was required to record daily all 
suspensions of policemen by his chief, and to keep an account of 
all moneys received by the Marshal or deputy-marshal from the 
captains, or other sources; draw up the Marshal's monthly re- 
ports, and act generally as clerk ; and, finally, to enter all com- 
plaints lodged at the office against the police or against any other 
parties for breaches of duty or violations of ordinances or fetate 
laws. His duties were substantially those of the secretary to the 
present Board of Police Commissioners. The deputy-marshal 
was also appointed annually, and to him fell the duty of assisting 
the Marshal in the execution of his duties under the hitter's 



26 OUR POLICE. 

directions. In case of the sickness or absence of the chief his 
deputy took his place. 

The captains, two for each district, were appointed annually. 
The Marshal assigned one captain to duty between six A. M. 
and six P. M., and the others to serve the latter half of the day, 
or for such other hours of alternate duty as the Marshal might 
designate. The captains, during their respective periods of duty, 
had general charge of the station-house and other arrangements 
of the police district. The assigned captain, or his lieutenant, 
was required to be always accessible at the station, and was ex- 
pected to keep a muster-roll of the police of the district, and call 
it at the hours of relief. This muster-roll for the preceding day 
was sent to the Marshal's office, with the captain's report in 
writing, of any delinquency on the part of a member of the police, 
any excuses made by either men or officers for absence from duty, 
the unfitness of any member for his office, or any charge that 
might be made. It was part of the captain's duty to suggest in 
writing, to the Marshal any alterations in the limits of the district 
that might seem necessary, or in the number or limits of the 
beats. Books were required to be kept in each station for the 
entry of all arrests, disposal of prisoners, nuisances reported, 
ordinances enforced, complaints and applications of citizens and 
all other police matters. A copy of all this was to be transmitted 
with the muster to the Marshal's office. 

The lieutenants, also two to each district, assisted their re- 
spective captains in the performance of their duties, and acted in 
their place in case of the latter's absence or sickness. Six ser- 
geants were assigned to each police district, two for each platoon 
of police officers, and after roll call or the hours of relief, led 
forth their platoons and stationed the patrolmen on their proper 
beats. The sergeants also patrolled their district during their 
hours of duty. In case of the absence or sickness of a lieutenant, 
the Marshal or captain in charge could assign one of the sergeants 
to take his place. 

The annual appointment of 350 patrolmen, who were dis- 
tributed among the four police districts under the direction of 
the Marshal, was also provided for. The force of each district 



OUR POLICE. 27 

was divided into three platoons, designated as platoons "A," 
" B " and " C" The district was divided into beats correspond- 
ing in number with the force of one platoon, after the deduction 
had been made from it of a proper number of men to remain at 
the station-house for sudden emergencies, and a policeman as- 
signed to each beat. Under this system the force was so dis- 
tributed that one-third of the police was on duty at day, and 
two-thirds during the night. At the same period the Detective 
Department was organized. The Mayor was directed to appoint 
five detective police officers who should not wear uniform, to be em- 
ployed in the detection of crimes. They were required to serve 
under the Marshal's directions. Two turnkeys were appointed 
for each district, and the Marshal was authorized, after submit- 
ting their names to the Mayor for approbation, to assign ten 
persons as substitutes for police officers in each district, captains 
being allowed to put a substitute in the place of a police officer 
who might be sick or absent. The substitutes, while on duty, 
were furnished with a badge and number, but were not required 
to wear a uniform and were paid for the time of actual service. 
A room was provided in each station for the use of four super- 
intendents of lamps, who were appointed by the Mayor, and from 
whom the supplies to the lamp-lighters were distributed. , 

The adoption of a uniform by the officers and patrolmen was 
made compulsory, the uniform being bought by the men. The 
summer costume of the sergeants and policemen consisted of a 
black cap with number, a dark blue single-breasted coat with 
standing collar, and a star three inches in size, worked in white 
worsted on the outside of the left breast of the coat, in such a 
manner that it could not be obscured by any part of the clothing. 
Dark blue trousers were worn. The winter uniform consisted of 
a black hat or cap with the number, a dark blue pilot overcoat, 
and dark blue trousers, and a glazed black leather belt, with the 
word " Police " lettered on it in bold Roman capital letters one 
inch in height. The belt, number, and " battoon," were the only 
articles provided at the expense of the corporation. The men 
were required to always wear their uniforms in public, whether 
on duty or not. The "battoon," carried in the belt, was twenty- 



28 OUR POLICE. 

two inches long and one and three-quarter inches thick. Re- 
volvers and other arms were procured to be used for emergencies. 
The hours of service were not limited, the men being liable to be 
called out for duty at any time. The marshal had power to 
suspend any member of the police, and the Mayor could dismiss 
absolutely from the force. The salary of the Marshal was fixed 
at $1,500 a year; deputy marshal,. $1,000; Marshal's secretary, 
$600; captain, $13 a week, lieutenant, $11.50 a week; sergeant, 
$10.50 a week ; police officers and detective police officers, $10 a 
week; and turnkeys, $7 a week. Four justices of the peace were 
appointed, one for each police district, whose duty it was to visit 
the station three times a day, for the examination and disposal of 
cases against prisoners. Under the new system the watch boxes 
were abandoned and sold. At the introduction of this new system 
Benjamin W. Herring was High Constable, and became Balti- 
more's first Marshal. Stephen H. Manly was his deputy. The 
captains of the several districts were : Eastern District, T. W. 
Sparklin and Edward Morris ; Middle District, John T. Brashears 
and John Mitchell ; Western District, John N. Linaweaver and 
William G. Brown ; Southern District, John S. Manly and John 
F. Wood. The men were distributed as follows : Eastern District, 
seventy-five patrolmen, forty-four of whom were on night duty, 
twenty- two day duty and nine held in reserve , Middle District, 
125 patrolmen, seventy-six on night duty, thirty-eight day duty 
and eleven in reserve; Western District, seventy-five patrol- 
men, forty-six on night duty, twenty -three day duty and six in 
reserve; and in the Southern District, seventy-five patrolmen, 
forty-four doing night duty, twenty-two day duty and nine in 
reserve; thus making 210 men patroling night beats, and one- 
half that number on day ones. In order to give more efficiency 
to the night service, the beats in the suburbs of the city were 
enlarged with the purpose of concentrating more readily an 
effective force whenever a sudden call might be made for it. 
The same plan was adopted with the men detailed for service 
during the day. Police headquarters were located in the build- 
ing then occupied by the Water Commission, in North street, 
near Fayette, where Marshal Herring had two rooms. 



OUR POLICE. 29 

On March 1, 1857, Marshal Herring issued the following order 
to the captains of police : 

" The system will commence this morning with the designated force of your 
district in the following order : One-third for day and two-thirds for night 
service. The day men to go on duty at 6 A. M. and remain on until 8 P. M., 
at which time the night men will relieve the day men, and remain on until 
relieved by the day men, at 6 o'clock A. M. It is understood that the men are 
in no case to leave their beats unless compelled to do so in the discharge of 
their duty. In going to their meals only a portion will leave at a time, the 
balance remaining until their return, which must not exceed one hour. Two 
Sergeants for day and four for night duty in each district will patrol their 
districts and see that their men are at their posts. The captains, lieutenants 
and turnkeys will relieve at six o'clock, morning and evening. The reserve 
force will be taken from the divisions as provided for in the card previously 
circulated. In case of absence from roll-call, a substitute will immediately 
take the place of the absentee, morning or night. The above regulations must 
be strictly complied with until further orders." 

Marshal Herring, in his statement to the Mayor for the year 
1857, reported 8,949 arrests during the year, twenty-five of the 
prisoners being charged with the offence of shooting at police 
officers, principally committed at the November elections. In 
1858 there were 10,877 arrests. 

While the new organization was unqualifiedly more efficient 
than former ones, in the course of a few years it lost the power 
to preserve the public peace. Among its members were many 
adherents of the American or "Know-nothing party." When 
this political ilk first attracted attention and the rowdy clubs 
made themselves conspicuous by their violence, the police made 
every effort to maintain order ; but the force was gradually filled 
with " Know-nothing" recruits, who, instead of maintaining the 
peace, became willing tools of violence and riot. Thus, in many 
instances, the men sworn to enforce an observation of the law 
became the chief instruments in subverting it. For several years 
the city was given up to a mob. At every election, riot swept 
many quarters of the city. Because of these facts a committee 
of the Reform party in 1859 drafted a number of bills, known as 
the "reform bills," and among these was the police bill. In 
order to remove the force from the control of the municipal 
officials the bill provided for the organization of a Board of Police 



30 OUR POLICE. 

Commissioners. The Legislature made this measure an act on 
February 2, 1860. Its first section provided, in nearly its own 
terms, that while the City Council of Baltimore might pass ordi- 
nances for preserving order, securing property and persons from 
violence, danger, or destruction, and for promoting the great 
interests and insuring the good government of the city, it could 
pass no ordinance which in any manner should conflict with the 
powers of the Board of Police ; nor should the city or any officer 
or agent of the corporation, or of the Mayor, in any manner ob- 
struct, hinder, or interfere with the Board of Police, or any 
officer under them. The Mayor's powers regarding the police, 
which had been conferred by former statutes, were repealed. 
Provisions were made for the establishment of a board of police, 
consisting of four commissioners and the Mayor. The commis- 
sion's members were to be citizens of the United States, as well 
as residents of the city for twelve months next preceding their 
appointment. Their terms of office were four years. The com- 
missioners promised, under oath, "that in any and every ap- 
pointment or removal to be by them made to or from the police 
created and to be organized by them under this article they will, 
in no case and under no pretext, appoint or remove any police- 
man or officer of police or other person under them, for or on 
account of the political opinion of such policemen, officer, or 
other person, or for any other cause or reason than the fitness or 
unfitness of such person." 

One of the commissioners was designated from time to time to 
act as treasurer. A majority constituted a quorum for the trans- 
action of business, and the failure or refusal of the Mayor to act 
did not impair the right of the commissioners to organize and 
proceed with their duties. In case of a vacancy in the board 
during the Legislature's recess, it could be filled by the remaining 
commissioners until the meeting of the General Assembly. The 
commissioners could hold no other public office. The first com- 
missioners designated in the act were Charles Howard, William 
H. Gatchell, Charles D. Hinks, and John W. Davis, two of 
whom were to serve for two years, and two for four years, their 
terms of duration to be decided by drawing lots. The duties of 




CHAELES HOWAED. 



OUR POLICE. 33 

the Board were declared to be " at all times, day and night, within 
the boundaries of the city of Baltimore, as well on water as on 
land, to preserve the public peace, prevent crime and arrest 
offenders, protect the rights of persons and property, guard the 
public health, preserve order at every public election, and at all 
public meetings and places and on all public occasions, prevent 
and remove nuisances in all streets, highways, waters, and other 
places ; provide a proper police force at every fire for the protec- 
tion of firemen and property ; protect strangers, emigrants, and 
travelers at steamboat and ship landings and railway stations ; 
see that all laws relating to elections and to the observance of 
Sunday, and regarding pawnbrokers, gambling, intemperance, 
lotteries and lottery policies, vagrants, disorderly persons, slaves 
and free negroes, and the public health, are enforced, and also 
enforce all laws and all ordinances of the Mayor and City Council 
of Baltimore not inconsistent with the provisions of this article or 
any other law of the State, which may be enforceable by a police 
force." 

In case the board should have reason to believe that any person 
within the city intended to break the peace beyond the city 
limits, upon the Chesapeake Bay, or any river, creek, or other 
place on land or water within the State, it was made their duty 
to have such persons followed, and to take the most effective 
measures for the suppression and prevention of the outrage, and 
to arrest the offenders. The board was required to appoint, 
equip, and arm a permanent police force, the number at the first 
organization, exclusive of officers, being fixed at three hundred 
and fifty, with power to reduce the number or increase it to not 
more than four hundred and fifty, as experience might warrant. 
For extraordinary emergencies the board might raise such addi- 
tional force as its judgment demanded. No person could be 
appointed or employed as a policeman or officer of police who had 
been convicted of, or against whom any indictment was pending 
for an offence the punishment of which was confinement in the 
penitentiary. Among the necessary qualifications for appoint- 
ment was citizenship of the United States, ability to read and 
write, good character, and physical strength and courage. The 



34 OUR POLICE. 

law made this provision also : " That no Black Republican or 
endorser or approver of the Helper Book shall be appointed to 
any office under said Board." 

The policemen were appointed for five years, and could be re- 
moved only for just cause after a hearing before the board. 
Policemen whose term of service should expire, and also had 
faithfully performed their duty, were to be preferred by the board 
in making their new appointments. The number of men and the 
disposition ot the new force were not greatly changed. The 
Marshal and deputy-marshal were continued, and the appointment 
of eight captains, eight lieutenants, twenty-four sergeants, and 
eight turnkeys was provided for, the officers being subject to 
removal by the board. The pay of the ordinary policemen was 
fixed at $10 a week, payable semi-monthly. The board was em- 
powered to appoint five detective policemen, paid the same as 
patrolmen. The Marshal's salary was $1,500 per annum; the 
deputy-marshals, $1,000; captains, $13 a week; lieutenants, 
$11.50; and sergeants, $10.50, payable semi-weekly. When- 
ever a vacancy occurred in any grade of officers, except that of 
marshal and deputy -marshal, the law required that it should be 
filled from the next lower grade. The board was authorized to 
make rules and regulations for the appointment, uniforming 
and disciplining and government of the police, for the relief 
and compensation of members injured in the discharge of their 
duties, and the support of families of men and officers killed in its 
performance. Such an allowance, however, could not exceed 
twelve months' pay. No member of the force was allowed to 
receive any gratuity without the consent of the board, and any 
money he was permitted to receive was to be paid to the com- 
missioners, which, "together with the proceeds of fines, forfeit- 
ures, penalties and unclaimed property which came into the 
possession of the board or be recovered by them under the pro- 
visions of this article, or any other law," formed a fund which 
the board could apply towards allowances to policemen and 
their families, and for extra pay to any member of the force who 
might be awarded it for gallantry and good conduct on extraor- 
dinary occasions. This provision was the foundation of the 




WILLIAM H. GATCIIELL. 



OUR POLICE. 37 

present Police Pension Fund, which has become so flourishing. The 
board was authorized to use a common seal, and the fire-alarm 
and police telegraph, and all station-houses, watch-boxes, arms, 
accoutrements, and other accommodations, which had been pro- 
vided by the Major and Council for the use and service of the 
police. In case of the refusal of the Mayor or Council or any 
officers or agents to allow such use, the board could apply to the 
Superior Court of Baltimore, in the name of the State, for a 
mandamus to compel a compliance. The law also made it the 
duty of the sheriff, whenever called upon by the board, to act 
under its control for the preservation of the peace. It could 
order him to summon the posse comitatus, and hold and employ 
the posse under its direction. It could also summon the military 
force of the city to aid in preventing threatened disorder, or in 
suppressing insurrection or disorder on election days and other 
times, the military then being subject to the directions given 
them by the board. Whenever the exigency warranted it the 
board could assume command of all the conservators of the peace 
in the city, sheriff, constables, police, and others, and the latter 
were required to act under the orders of the board. In case of 
the refusal of any of these to obey any lawful command of the 
board they were liable to the following penalties : the sheriff to a 
penalty of $5,000, and other peace officers to a penalty of $500, 
and any private citizen to a penalty of $150. Any officer of the 
military force of the city failing to obey the board was liable to a 
penalty of $500, and any non-commissioned officer or private to 
a penalty of $150. 

Upon the organization of the Board of Police it was required 
to inform the Marshal or deputy -marshal of police that it required 
his attendance and obedience to its orders, under penalty, and 
the whole existing force should then pass under the exclusive 
management and control of the board, the latter having power of 
removal or suspension, and to fill vacancies, until it should 
declare the organization complete. Upon this public declaration 
all ordinances of the City Council were annulled and declared void 
so far as they conflicted with the new law, or assumed or con- 
ferred upon the Mayor or any other person any power to employ 



38 OUK POLICE. 

or control any police force organized under such ordinances. 
The board was required to annually estimate the sum of money 
necessary for each current fiscal year enabling it to discharge its 
duties, and certify the same to the Mayor and City Council, who 
were expected to assess and levy the amount upon all assessable 
property of Baltimore, and collect the same as other city taxes. 
A penalty of $1,000 was imposed upon "any officer or servant 
of the Mayor and City Council," who should forcibly resist or 
obstruct the enforcement of the provisions of the act providing a 
permanent police for the city. Justices of the peace were to be 
designated to sit at the respective stations for hearing cases. 
The board was required to keep a full journal of its proceedings, 
which should be open to the inspection of the General Assembly, 
or any committee appointed by it for that purpose. The board 
was also ordered to report to the Assembly at each session of 
the latter. 

The last section of this important law declares that nothing in 
it should " be taken to destroy or diminish the liability or re- 
sponsibility of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore for any 
failure to discharge the duties or obligations of the corporation," 
the board of police being constituted the authorities for all such 
purposes to the same effect as if created and appointed by the 
Mayor and Council; "Provided, however," it is again cautiously 
stated, "that nothing m this section shall be construed to give to 
the said Mayor and City Council, or any officer of said corporation, 
any control over said board or any officer or policeman appointed 
thereby." This act took effect on the day of its passage. 

The act of February 14, 1860, conferred upon the Board of 
Police the additional powers of general supervision of elections. 
It was required to divide the wards of the city into election pre- 
cincts, and exercised a large control over the voting. The per- 
sonnel of the first board was excellent. Mr Howard, the 
president, was a genial gentleman of independent means, pos- 
sessing the confidence of the entire community. He was a 
Democrat in politics. Mr. Gatchell was also a Democrat, but 
neither he nor Mr. Howard figured prominently in party affairs 
Mr. Hinks was an active Republican, and was afterwards Mayor 




CHARLES D. HINKS. 



OUR POLICE. 41 

of the city. All of these gentlemen are now dead. Of the ori- 
ginal board there are living Mr. John W. Davis and Judge 
George W. Brown, then Mayor and ex-offieio member of the 
Board of Police. 

This police bill excited the most violent opposition from the 
city authorities, who, with others, contended that the act was 
unconstitutional. On the passage of the bill the Mayor dis- 
patched a message to the Council asking leave to test its legality, 
saying, in his opinion, that the " Reform bills were without the 
authority of law, and cannot be recognized by the courts." On 
February 6, the Commissioners of the Police Board appeared in 
the clerk's office at the Superior Court and subscribed to the re- 
quired oath of office. Three days later a formal demand was 
made through their counsel, Reverdy Johnson, S. Teackle 
Wallis, J. Mason Campbell and William H. Norris, upon the 
Mayor and City Council for the delivery, under the law, of 
the station-houses, police equipments, etc. Mayor Swann, on 
the 10th, formally notified the board of his refusal to comply 
with the demand. The commissioners then made application to 
Judge Martin, of the Superior Court, for a mandamus. The 
decision of the court was not made until March 13, when it de- 
cided that the act constituting the board was constitutional. The 
Mayor v and City Council appealed from this decision, and the 
decision was affirmed by the Court of Appeals on April 17. The 
great body of the people of Baltimore were favorable to the new 
police law, and this final decision declaring its legality gave the 
greatest satisfaction. The commissioners immediately organized 
a new police force, and entered upon their duties on May 1, 
1860. A new uniform was adopted for the policemen, and the 
force was known as the Metropolitan Police. Colonel George 
P. Kane was appointed Marshal, and Thomas Gifford, deputy- 
marshal. Marshal Kane, who accepted the position at a great 
personal sacrifice, and who was perhaps the best man in the city 
for the task confided to him, raised the force to the highest point 
of efficiency. 

The new force, organized by him, uniformed and thoroughly 
drilled, was the most efficient the citv had ever known. Old 



42 OUR POLICE. 

abuses were done away with, and the citizens began to look upon 
the recent epoch of riot and violence as a terrible nightmare, and 
this feeling of security might have losg continued but for the 
troubles incident to the beginning of the civil war. 

Mr. Herring, who preceded Colonel Kane as Marshal, was the 
connecting link between the old police organization, when there 
was constabulary and a high constable, and the efficient force 
which Colonel Kane developed. Mr. Herring had served four 
years as high constable under Mayors Jerome and Hinks. Basil 
James was deputy high constable. During Mayor Smith Hol- 
land's administration Mr. Herring did not hold office, but upon 
Mayor Swann's election and the re-organization of the police, he 
was made Marshal. His deputy was Stephen Manly. Mr. 
Herring served until 1861, when the control of the police was 
removed from the municipal authorities, and the new order of 
things went into effect. Marshal Herring was born in New 
Castle, Delaware, on April 1, 1810. He came to Baltimore 
while a young man and engaged in the grocery business, which 
he followed until elected to the position of High Constable. 
In 1861, when the city police force was disbanded, he went to 
Pennsylvania, and subsequently settled in Philadelphia. In that 
city he was engaged in business for more than twenty years, and 
in 1882, having acquired a competency, he returned to Baltimore, 
to pass his declining years in the city where his youth was spent. 
Notwithstanding his more than seventy -seven years, Mr. Herring 
is an active and robust man, and defends the old police force, of 
which he was chief. He recently said to the writer : 

" The criticisms on the police of those days are unjust. There 
was not a better body of men in the country. We had the old 
volunteer fire department to deal with, and the firemen gave us a 
great deal of trouble. The real fault of the lawlessness at that 
time rested not with the police, but with the courts and magis- 
trates. The magistrates were elected by the wards at that time. 
Many of the roughest element in society belonged to the fire 
companies, and the men seeking magisterial office depended upon 
that class for election. When the police arrested one of these 
men for any crime he would be released on straw-bail, and within 



OUR POLICE. 43 

twenty -four hours we would perhaps have the same man to again 
lock up. The officers were not upheld in the discharge of their 
duties. We often arrested forty or fifty persons in one night, 
every one of whom were released the next morning by the 
magistrates. They would take the sureties from anybody that 
offered them. The citizens did not understand the true facts of 
the matter and blamed the police. They saw the lawlessness 
and riot, and thought the police ought to correct them. The 
officers got discouraged. The roughs defied the police, knowing 
how secure they were. To show their recklessness look 
at the case of the shooting of policemen Rigdon and Benton. 
Cropps, Currie and Gamble would never have murdered the 
officers or been hanged if they had been properly dealt with in the 
first instance. They had been arrested for crimes time and time 
again, but nothing was done with them. They were allowed to 
do as they pleased, until they thought any crime, even the mur- 
der of policemen, could be committed with immunity to them- 
selves. Then officer Jordan was shot in Old Town. There was 
a riot in Jackson Hall, and hearing of it, I took some officers 
and went over there. As we approached the hall the crowd 
within began firing from the windows, and officer Jordan fell, 
shot dead. Rioting was very common. I was many times out 
on Baltimore street with forty or fifty men all night, just to keep 
the firemen from fighting. 

"I, myself," continued Mr. Herring, "arrested one of the 
worst characters in Baltimore, 'Bud' Coulston, for firing two 
shots in the day time into the public school at Fayette and Hol- 
liday streets. I took the prisoner before a magistrate who 
immediately released him on ' straw ' bail. There were hundreds 
of such cases. Captain Brown's men, of the "Western District, 
arrested one man, in a little more than a year, one hundred and 
forty-seven times. He was a notorious rough, one of the worst 
men in the city, but he was never brought before the courts for 
trial. The Deputy State Attorney frequently came to my office 
and committed five or six prisoners to jail, and find the next 
morning that all had been released by their friends, the magis- 
trates, on the fiction that they had given security or 'bail. 



44 OUR POLICE. 

Much has been said about the police and election days. Why, 
the officers made arrests at the polls, took their prisoners to jail, 
and within two hours would find them back about the polling 
places. There were numbers of these cases. The people did 
not understand it all, and some clamored for a change. If the 
courts and magistrates had done their duty, the control of the 
police should never have been taken out of the hands of the 
Mayor. We had a rough time, but it was not the fault of the 
police, and had the force been assisted by the execution of the 
laws, we would not have had so much trouble. There were no 
gymnasiums in those days ; the men had enough gymnastic exer- 
cise without. They were compelled to fight almost every prisoner 
and drag him to the station. Frequently the officers literally 
had their coats torn off their backs. If an arrest were made in 
a crowd the prisoner's friends would interfere, and prevent the 
officer from properly discharging his duty. During the latter 
part of my administration the volunteer firemen were disbanded 
and the paid fire department established. An improvement in 
the order of the city was at once manifest ; but about the time we 
were beginning to straighten things out the force was disbanded 
and the new Police Board went into operation. The force was 
disbanded, but many of the men, bad as some would have you 
believe they were, were re-appointed, and remain to this day 
good and efficient officers of police. The men did not at the time 
like the change." 



OUR POLICE. 45 

CHAPTER IV. 

Civil War and the New Force. 

the entrance of the northern troops. — marshal kane's 
precautions. — protecting the military. — the march 
through the streets. — "keep back, men, or i'll shoot." 
— the commissioners and marshal arrested. — under 
military rule. — the rival police boards. — good order 
again. — the reorganization of 1867. the first board. 

Marshal Kane was fitly chosen for his position. It was the 
recollection of his administration which made the reorganization 
of the force after the stirring times of the civil war, one which 
demanded the best executive ability in the city, and made the 
present admirable system possible. But Mr. Kane, while he was 
anxious to serve his fellow citizens with the very best of his 
powers, did not propose to sacrifice himself absolutely, and so in 
November, 1860, after his charge had been fostered into a sturdy 
life, tendered his resignation as Marshal, but the citizens made so 
general a protest against its acceptance that he was induced to 
withdraw it. In the latter part of November, Mayor George 
William Brown became, ex officio, a member of the Board of 
Police ; William F. McKewen was clerk of the Board. The 
force as thus constituted continued to protect the city until the 
military authorities took possession of it in 1861. In the memor- 
able troubles of the 19th of April in that year the police earned for 
themselves, by their coolness and courage, a national reputation, 
Marshal Kane particularly distinguishing himself by his brave 
efforts to protect the passing soldiers from harm. The first 
Northern troops on their way to Washington, a force of about 
six hundred Pennsylvanians, passed through the city on the 18th 
of April. The route of march from the depot, at the intersection 
of Cathedral and Howard street, to Mount Clare depot, was lined 
with an excited crowd which hooted the soldiery, but was kept 
from violence by the thoroughness of the police arrangements. 



46 OUR POLICE. 

Simultaneously with the passage of the first Northern troops 
came the news that Virginia had seceded, and the danger of passing 
soldiers through the city was so apparent that a dispatch was sent 
by the Northern Central Railroad Company to Governor Cur- 
tin, of Pennsylvania warning him of the peril of repeating the 
attempt. Governor Hicks and Mayor Brown issued a proclama- 
tion warning the people to refrain from violence. On April 19, 
information was received that a large body of Federal troops, on 
their way to Washington, would soon arrive at the depot of the 
Philadelphia railroad. No intimation of this had been pre- 
viously received by the police, although the Marshal repeatedly 
telegraphed to Philadelphia for information. Marshal Kane 
hastily called out a force to protect the soldiery. At eleven 
o'clock a train of thirty-five cars, containing about two thou- 
sand troops of the Sixth regiment of Massachusetts, the First 
and Fourth of Pennsylvania, and the Washington Brigade of 
Philadelphia, arrived at the depot. Six rounds of ball cartridge 
per man had been furnished the Massachusetts men in appre- 
hension of trouble. Marshal Kane, accompanied by Mayor 
Brown, had gone to the Camden station of the Baltimore and 
Ohio Railroad, where a train was preparing to take the men to 
Washington. As the change of cars occurred at this point, it 
was here that an attack was feared, and a strong police force 
was massed about the station. The line of march, about a mile 
from the Philadelphia depot to the Camden station, was bor- 
dered with citizens more or less excited. The first car, con- 
taining Massachusetts men, and drawn by horses, then the 
means of transit of all trains through Baltimore, started from the 
depot at half past eleven o'clock, and was shortly followed by 
eight other cars. The constantly increasing crowd groaned, 
yelled and hooted, but still offered no violence. The appearance 
of the crowd was, however, so alarming that the soldiers threw 
themselves on the floors of the cars, so that none of them were 
visible from the outside. The nine cars reached the Camden 
station in safety, and, although there was a larger and more 
angry crowd assembed there, no violence was offered, and the 
troops were safely transferred to the Washington train. The 




HON. GEORGE WILLIAM BROWN. 



OUR POLICE. 49 

tenth car had gone but a little distance from the depot, when it 
was delayed in its passage — according to one account, was thrown 
off the track by obstructions, and had to be replaced with the 
help of a passing team. A stone was thrown at it by some one 
in the crowd, and in an instant a shower of paving-stones and 
other missiles descended on the car, the windows were broken, and 
some of the soldiers were struck. Near Gay street a number of 
laborers were at work repairing Pratt street, and had taken up 
the cobble-stones. A cart full of sand was dumped upon the 
track, and the loose paving-stones piled on top, and, as a more 
effectual means of obstruction, a number of large anchors, lying 
near the head of Gay street dock, were placed across the track. 
In several places the rails were torn up. The next lot of cars, 
being stopped by the obstructions, were hauled back to the sta- 
tion. Their passage had now become impossible. Thus, about 
four companies of troops, or about 220 men, were blocked. A 
report spread through the crowd that they had abandoned the 
attempt to pass through the city and taken an eastward bound 
train. Presently a report was circulated that, instead of return- 
ing, the troops were preparing to march through the city, and in 
an instant a rush was made for the depots. There, the soldiers 
were found preparing to march. The crowd assembled rapidly, 
its anger increasing with the delay. Several attempts were 
made by the mob to break into the cars, but these were 
checked by the strong body of police. Presently six car-loads 
of soldiers left the train, and despite the threats of the crowd, 
succeeded, with the help of the police, in forming a double file. 
The troops massed on President street, while the crowd pressed 
upon them, cheering for Jefferson Davis and the Confederacy, and 
groaning for Lincoln and the North. The order was given to 
march, but the crowd blocked the way. The troops then wheeled 
and tried to move in the opposite direction, but the crowd again 
held them in check. Finally, they were formed into columns 
of fours, with an escort of police in the front and the rear, and 
the crowd reluctantly gave way to the police. Then the march 
was begun towards the Camden street station. Throughout that 
terrible day, nothing was more remarkable than the admirable 



50 OUR POLICE. 

behavior, discipline and courage of the police, and the respect 
with which the mob regarded them. Amid all the excitement 
they were never directly attacked, not even when they drove the 
furious mob back inch by inch, or tore men by force out of its 
hands. As the soldiers advanced along President street the tur- 
bulence of the crowd increased. One of the bands of rioters bore 
a Confederate flag, which was saluted with deafening cheers, and 
carried a considerable distance. A man rushed towards the 
flag, and pulling down the staff nearly tore away the banner, 
when he was seized by the throat and would have been killed, 
had not the police rescued him. Stones were thrown in great 
numbers, and at Fawn street two of the soldiers were knocked 
down and seriously injured. One of them was seized and 
roughly handled until the police forced their way to him and 
carried him off. The troops then quickened their pace to a run, 
bending their heads to avoid the flying stones. The police did 
their utmost, but it was useless to arrest men when not an officer 
could be spared to put them in jail. The presence of the police, 
however, was of great service, and they rescued two more soldiers 
from the crowd. The rioters were armed only with such stones 
and missiles as could be picked up, and a few pistols. They made 
no attempt to use the muskets taken from the fallen soldiers, but 
handed them over to the police. 

During this time, Marshal Kane, the Police Commissioners 
and Mayor Brown, with a large body of police, were at the 
Camden street station. A large crowd had assembled there, 
but was restrained by the police from committing any serious 
breach of the peace. Shortly after the arrival of the nine 
car-loads of troops who had passed safely to the Camden sta- 
tion, the alarm was given that the mob was about to tear up 
the rails in advance of the train on the Washington road. 
Marshal Kane ordered some of his men to go out as far as 
necessary, and protect the track. About this time, also, the 
first intelligence reached the Mayor and police officials at the 
Camden station, that troops had been left behind, and that 
the mob was tearing up the tracks on Pratt street, so as to 
obstruct the progress of the cars. Police Commissioner Davis 




HON. JOHN W. DAVIS. 



OUR POLICE. 53 

immediately summoned Marshal Kane to the point of danger, 
and Mayor Brown proceeded alone. Sergeant McComas and 
four policemen had been stationed at the foot of Gay street, 
where the anchors had been placed, but they were prevented from 
removing the obstructions by the rioters. Mayor Brown, upon 
appearing, ordered their removal, and his authority was not re- 
sisted. Near the Pratt street bridge Mayor Brown encountered 
the four companies of Massachusetts troops marching in double- 
quick time. The soldiers were firing wildly, sometimes backward, 
over their shoulders. The mob was pursuing, throwing stones 
and firing an occasional pistol shot. The uproar was furious, 
but as Mayor Brown approached the head of the column, some 
persons in the crowd called out : 

"Here comes the Mayor!" 

Joining the officer in command, he announced who he was, and 
marched with him. Mayor Brown objected to the double-quick, 
and it was immediately stopped. The Mayor's presence had 
some effect for a short time, but very soon the attack was re- 
newed with greater vigor. As the mob grew bolder, the rioters 
rushed at the soldiers and attempted to snatch their muskets. 
With one of these weapons a soldier was killed. Men fell on 
both sides, the soldiers firing at will. The troops could not dis- 
criminate between the rioters and the bystanders, and the latter 
seemed to suffer most from the firing, for the mob was pursuing 
the troops. The latter could not face about with ease, and so 
shot towards their flank. At South street several citizens who 
had been standing in a group, fell, wounded or killed. Near 
Light, street a soldier was fatally wounded, and a boy on a 
vessel lying in the dock was killed. About the same place, 
some soldiers, at the head of the column, fired into a group on 
the sidewalk, the shots taking effect. At this point, between 
Light and Charles streets, Marshal Kane, with about fifty po- 
licemen, was seen running from Camden street station. Those 
police formed at the rear of the troops and in front of the 
mob, and kept it back with drawn revolvers. Marshal Kane 
called out : 

"Keep back, men, or I'll shoot!" 



54 OUR POLICE. 

This gallant movement was successful, and the mob recoiled. 
One of the ringleaders tried to pass the line, but the Marshal 
seized him, and declared he would shoot him if he persisted. 
Marshal Kane and his men nearly ended the fight, and the 
column passed on under the protection of the police, without 
serious molestation, to Camden station, where the detachment 
that had first passed through in the Washington cars was waiting 
the arrival of the other troops to start. At the station there 
was more rioting and confusion, but nothing serious occurred. 
Police Commissioner Davis assisted in protecting the soldiery 
while they were entering the cars. Some muskets were pointed 
out of the windows by the troops, but Commissioner Davis 
earnestly objected to this as likely to bring on a renewal of the 
fight, and consequently the blinds were closed. 

At about a quarter of one o'clock the train of thirteen cars, 
filled with troops, moved out of the station to Washington, fol- 
lowed by the hisses and groans of the multitude. At the out- 
skirts of the city, shots were fired from the windows of the cars, 
and Robert W. Davis was killed. During the day four of the 
Massachusetts regiment were killed and thirty-six wounded. 
Twelve citizens were killed. 

When the Massachusetts troops had departed, the band of the 
regiment and some unarmed Pennsylvania troops, who had not 
yet left the President street station, were in danger. A mob 
assembled and there was insufficient police protection. Stones 
were thrown, and some of the Pennsylvanians were hurt ; a num- 
bor were panic-stricken and scattered through the city. Mar- 
shal Kane again appeared with an adequate force, and quiet was 
restored. Arrangements were subsequently made with the rail- 
road by which the remaining troops were returned towards Phila- 
delphia. During the afternoon and night a number of straggling 
soldiers sought the aid of the police, and were cared for at the 
stations. 

Notwithstanding the brilliant achievements of the new police 
organization, the last vestige of the civil authority directing it 
was doomed soon to be swept away. The military took posses- 
sion of the city, and on the morning of June 27, Marshal Kane 




SAMUEL HINDES. 



OUR POLICE. 57 

was arrested at his home and taken to Fort McHenry. Mr. 
Kane had given pronounced expression to his views in regard to 
the expediency of massing troops at Washington, and had thus 
made himself liable to the summary action by the military in 
the city. On the same day General Banks suspended the 
Board of Police, and ordered John R. Kenly to assume com- 
mand of the police in the city. On July 10, General Banks 
appointed George R. Dodge to be Marshal of Police in place of 
Colonel Kenly. He entered upon his duties the same day. 
with James McPhail as deputy -marshal. They occupied the 
property of the city provided for the regular police, and the 
troops which had been quartered in the heart of the town were 
withdrawn and sent back to the camps. The Board of Police 
Commissioners was arrested on the morning of July 1st, by men 
of Col. Morehead's Philadelphia regiment. The troops pro- 
ceeded first to the house of John W. Davis, who had so distin- 
guished himself in protecting the Northern soldiers on April 19, 
arrested him, and sent him to the fort, under guard. They next 
arrested Charles D. Hinks, Charles Howard, the President of 
the Board, and William H. Gatchell. All these gentlemen were 
conveyed to the fort, and then sent to Fort Warren, Boston Harbor, 
where they remained for more than a year. The Clerk of the Board, 
William McKewen, who has since figured prominently in local poli- 
tics, and is now clerk of the city court, was also arrested, but after- 
wards discharged by Marshal Kenly, no charge having been 
made against him. ' General Banks then appointed a police 
board, composed of Columbus O'Donnell, Archibald Sterling, 
Jr., Thomas Kelso, John R. Kelso, John W. Randolph, Peter 
Sauerwein, John B. Seidenstricker, Joseph Roberts and Michael 
Warner. Between Thursday night and Friday morning, a num- 
ber of military arrests were made, and among the prisoners was 
Mayor George William Brown. It was intended to send him, with 
others, to the Dry Tortugas, but, as it fortunately happened, there 
were no vessels in the port suitable for the service. Clerk Wil- 
liam McKewen, was re-arrested on October 15, and thus the last 
vestige of the authority of the Baltimore Police Board was 
temporarily disposed of. 



58 OUR POLICE. 

The bill appropriating one hundred thousand dollars for the 
payment of the police organization of Baltimore, k ' employed 
by the United States," was introduced into Congress on July 
21, and " railroaded" through. Representative Henry May 
characterized the measure as "a bill to provide for the wages 
of oppression." All discussion was cut off by moving the 
"previous question." In the Senate the act was adopted with 
equal precipitancy, notwithstanding the protests of both the 
Maryland Senators. This Congressional appropriation not 
being sufficient for the purpose, the City Council, at its 
session of 1862-63, made an appropriation of twenty-two 
thousand dollars to supply the deficiency. In 1862 the mili- 
tary signified its willingness to turn over the police depart- 
ment to the civil authorities of the State, as the Legislature, 
which had the power to appoint a Board of Police Commission- 
ers, was at the time in full sympathy with the Federal Gov- 
ernment. The Legislature, therefore, on February 18, 1862, 
passed a bill repealing the former Police Bill of 1860, but sub- 
stantially re-enacting its provisions, with the exception of the 
number of Commissioners, which was fixed at two, who, to- 
gether with the Mayor of the city, John Lee Chapman, formed 
the Police Board. The oath of fealty to the Government of 
the United States was required from the Commissioners and 
all the officers of police appointed by them. Messrs. Samuel 
Hindes and Nicholas L. Wood were appointed to the office. This" 
Board qualified on March 6, 1862, and organized and entered 
on its duties on March 10. On the 29th, the Government force 
of police was turned over to the Police Board, and on April 1, 
it was paid and disbanded. A large majority of the force se- 
lected by the new Board was the same as appointed by the Pro- 
vost-Marshal. The new organization began its service on April 
3, 1862. 

W. A. Van Nostrand was the Board's appointment to the 
Marshalship. He filled the office during that most troublous 
period in the city's history — from 1862 to March, 1864. His 
deputy was William H. Lyons. Besides being Marshal of Balti- 
more, Mr. Van Nostrand filled the position of United States 




NICHOLAS L. WOOD. 



OUR POLICE. 61 

Provost-Marshal of the Middle District, consisting of West Virginia, 
Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He served 
under Generals Dix, Wool, Schenck, Tyler and Wallace. Mar- 
shal Van Nostrand was born on Long Island, N. Y., on April 
4, 1819. He came to Baltimore in 1853. By occupation, he 
is a shipsmith. The only other public office which he has held, 
besides those named, was that of Representative of the First and 
Second Wards, in the years 1858-59, in the second branch of 
Councils. Before the disbanding of the Volunteer Fire Com- 
panies, in 1861, he was an active fireman, and was for five years 
President of the Franklin Fire Company. 

"It has been said by several historians," declared Mr. Van 
Nostrand, recently, " that Baltimore was for a time, after the arrest 
of Marshal Kane, the Police Commissioners and Mayor Brown, 
under martial law ; but such was not the case. At no time was 
the civil authority suspended. When Mayor Brown was arrested, 
Mr. Chapman immediately qualified and assumed the office. The 
Courts, City Councils and the city government were administered 
without interruption. After Marshal Kane's arrest, Mr. Dodge 
was appointed by the military authorities to take charge of the 
police, but the functions of the police were continued. Barri- 
cades were afterwards established, through which no one was 
allowed to pass after nightfall without a pass ; but this was a 
military necessity, not at all incident to martial law ; a precau- 
tion taken against carrying information to the enemy of the num- 
ber of United States troops in and about the city. It was a try- 
ing time, but the military authorities and the police acted in 
concert, and while martial law was threatened on several occa- 
sions," it was never declared." 

In 1863, John A. Thompson, City Registrar, was made Treas- 
urer, under the provisions of the new law. On March 17, 1864, 
Thomas H. Carmichael succeeded Mr. Van Nostrand as Marshal 
of Police. The Deputy-Marshal was John S. Manly. Mr. Car- 
michael had been in the police service since March 1, 1857, when 
he was appointed Lieutenant of the Middle District by Mayor 
Swann. This position he filled until the creation of the Police 
Board, in 1861. When Mr. Kenly took charge of the police as 



62 OUR POLICE. 

Provost-Marshal, he tendered to Mr. Carmichael the Captaincy 
of the Middle District ; but this the latter declined, preferring to 
resume his old duties of Lieutenant. At the same time he was 
made Chief of the United States Detectives stationed in Balti- 
more, and had the direction of fourteen men. "When Mr. Van 
Nostrand was made Marshal, Lieutenant Carmichael was pro- 
moted to be Captain of his District, and continued in that capa- 
city until he was again promoted to the Marshalate by Messrs. 
Hindes, Wood and Mayor Chapman. He served until March 15, 
1867, when the new Board was organized. Marshal Carmichael 
was born in Baltimore, on December 16, 1829. After the sever- 
ance of his connection with the police department, he was ap- 
pointed Harbor-Master of this port. He has also filled the posi 
tion of deputy-warden of the city jail. From 1869 to 1875, he was 
Captain of the Watch at the Custom-House, and subsequently 
was the officer at the Government Buildings for a period of nine 
years. 

Messrs. Hindes and Wood continued Commissioners until 
1866, when charges of official misconduct were preferred against 
them, and after an examination by the Governor, they were re- 
moved, William T. Valiant and James Young being appointed 
to their places. The reasons for their removal were rather po- 
litical than anything else, nothing dishonorable in the discharge 
of their duties being proved against them. They were both Re- 
publicans, although neither was prominent in political affairs. 
Messrs. Hindes and Wood refused to deliver to the new Commis- 
sioners the police establishment, and continued to exercise con- 
trol over the police force. The new Commissioners, however, 
established their head-quarters at another point, and began 
measures for the exercise of their functions. The power of the 
Criminal Court was invoked against them, and they were arrested 
on the charge of unlawfully conspiring to obtain possession of the 
offices and property of the police department. Messrs. Valiant 
and Young refused to give bail, and they were imprisoned in the 
city jail. 

Messrs. Valiant and Young were brought before the Court 
on November 8th, and on the 13th, Judge Bartol released the 



OUR POLICE. 65 

Commissioners, the latter taking possession of their office and 
entering upon the performance of their duties. The Marshal 
presented himself to the Board during the day, and made a formal 
surrender of his command; and on the 15th, Messrs. Hindes and 
Wood delivered their documents to the new Commissioners, and 
turned over the station-houses and the other property of the State 
appertaining to the Commission. In this way was settled one of 
the most exciting episodes of the history of the police under the 
perfected system. The new Board began its work by appointing 
Colonel John T. Farlow Marshal of Police, and Captain John 
T. Gray, of the Central District, Deputy-Marshal. 

Marshal Farlow received his appointment on April 22, 1867, 
and served until April 17, 1870, when he resigned. He was 
born at Fell's Point, East Baltimore, and lived there all his 
life. He was a ship-carpenter by trade, but early in life engaged 
in mercantile pursuits. For a time he discharged the duties of 
United States Steamboat Inspector at this port, but that was the 
only public office he filled up to the time of his appointment as 
Marshal. After his resignation from the police, he was elected 
Magistrate, and assigned to the Eastern Police District, in which 
position he died. On the occasion of his funeral the police par- 
aded, details from each district taking part in the funeral pro- 
cession.. 

It was on March 15, 1867, that the new Board of the Police 
Department was organized under the State law. The Legisla- 
ture had elected as Commissioners Lefevre Jarrett, James E. 
Carr and William II. B. Fusselbaugh. Upon the meeting of the 
Board, Mr. Jarrett was elected to be President, and Mr. Carr, 
Treasurer; George W. Taylor was appointed to be Secretary, he 
remaining in the service of the Commissioners until August, 1867. 
when he was succeeded by Thomas E. Martin. The executive 
heads of the force were as during the Valiant-Young regime. 
Bet cen the organization of the latter Board and the reorganiza- 
tion of 1867, there had been two changes. Colonel Farlow 
had been removed for political reasons, Thomas H. Carmichael suc- 
ceeding him. But in 1867 the latter was in turn removed, and 
William A. Van Nostrand appointed. Then Marshal Van 



66 OUR POLICE. 

Nostrand was followed by Colonel Farlow. The police force of 
1860 not having been paid, a resolution was introduced into 
the City Couucil to appropriate §112,000 in payment of this 
debt, and $1000 as a gift to Mayor Chapman for his ser- 
vices on the Board. This resolution was a bomb-shell in 
the Council, and occasioned the bitterest denunciations of all 
kinds ; but the honesty of the intentions of the Police Board was 
not for a moment questioned by its bitterest opponent. The 
resolution was defeated, and thereupon R. C. Barry and 
S. Teackle Wallace, as the Police force counsel, made a 
formal demand upon the City Registrar for the money. 
This was refused, and the suits, numbering 389, were dock- 
eted before Judge Smith, of the City Court for the recovery 
of the claims. The costs, with attorneys' fees, amounted to 
$15,000. The suits were finally compromised and the claim 
settled. The Legislature of 1867 did much to increase the 
power of the Police Commissioners. Since the trouble of 1861, 
there had been, as has been related, all sorts of changes in the 
composition of the Commission, and the public had been in- 
clined to regard the members of it with askance, but when the 
Board was reorganized, the old laws of 1860 were again acted 
upon by the Legislature, and the Board was again clothed with 
almost unlimited powers. In fact, the acts which now define 
the duties of the Commission, bear the date of 1867. The sub- 
stance of these laws have been already commented upon. Of the 
Board of Police Commissioners under the reorganization of 1867, 
Messrs James E. Carr and William H. B. Fusselbaugh are still 
(1887) living. 

Mr. Carr took his seat as Commissioner on March 4, 1867, 
and he was at once selected as Treasurer. He served for two 
terms of four years each in this capacity, being re-elected a Com- 
missioner by the Legislature of 1871. The duties devolving 
upon this Board were exceedingly difficult, the city being at the 
time almost a social and political chaos. The Board had to cope 
with the lawlessness, which was the legitimate outcome of the 
war. Persons of all classes at the time carried arms, and the 
enforcement of the act of the Legislature disarming all persons, 




LEFEVRE JARRETT. 



OUR POLICE. 69 

was one of the difficult tasks the Board was compelled to labor 
with. Proceeding upon its task with fearless vigor and determi- 
nation, it was not a great while before the Board succeeded in 
quieting all discordant elements and obtaining security for the 
people of Baltimore. During the term of this Board the Freed- 
men held a grand jubilee and procession in Baltimore on the an- 
niversary of their emancipation, in which procession more than 
30,000 negroes were in line. The feeling against the negro, 
among a certain class, ran very high at that time, and a bloody 
collision between the races was feared. The manner in which 
the city was kept in almost perfect tranquility reflected the 
greatest credit upon the efficiency of the department. 

Mr. Carr was born at Carroll's Manor, Howard county, in this 
State, in 1829. His mother, who was left a widow removed to 
this city while he was still an infant. After receiving a common 
school education in Baltimore, he became engaged in various pur- 
suits until, shortly before the war, he entered the hat and cap 
manufacturing business, on Howard street. Since he attained 
his majority, Mr. Carr has taken a most lively interest in poli- 
tics. He has always been a staunch Democrat, and has enjoyed 
a large influence among the leaders of his party, both in the 
State and in this city. At the beginning of the late war, the con- 
dition of Mr. Carr's health precluded the possibility of his enter- 
ing upon active military service, and he remained in Baltimore 
during all those troublous times. It was shortly after his elec- 
tion to the Police Board that that most dreadful calamity, the 
flood of July 24, 1868, overtook this city. In that crisis the 
bravery of Commissioner Carr in rescuing the victims of the cat- 
astrophe, became a matter of national fame. Harper's Weekly, 
at the time, in a long article on the floods, quoted the following 
editorial notice from the Baltimore Sunday Telegram, of Julv 
26, 1868: 

" It is a true saying, that in times of great public calamities, some man rises 
to the position of a great public benefactor, and such was the case yesterday 
with Police Commissioner James E. Carr. He at first sight apprehended the 
character of the calamity, and he immediately sent for boats and organized a 
sufficient force of policemen to manage them. He soon had work enough to 
do. He led the van in his boat in places of great peril, and rescued women 



70 OUR POLICE. 

and children from death. Two parties he rescued from Davis street were in 
the upper story of the house, holding each a child above their heads, with the 
water to their necks and fast increasing. In his task he was frequently thrown 
into the water,but he continued, setting an example to his men, which they 
all most willingly followed. At one time he was swept off by the current, 
and the news swept throughout the city, causing profound regret wherever 
heard, that he was lost, but he was fortunately rescued, to continue again until 
necessity ceased for his good work. Too much praise can scarcely be awarded 
to the Police Commissioners and the police for the manner in which they 
labored." 

One of the afternoon newspapers in Baltimore, the Evening 
Commercial, at the time published the fact of Mr. Carr's death, 
and the first knowledge his family obtained of his perilous under- 
takings, was the crying upon the streets by newsboys, of iC the 
drowning of Commissioner Carr." Shortly after the flood, the 
ladies of Baltimore, in recognition of Mr. Carr's bravery, pre- 
sented him with a beautiful dressing-gown, smoking-cap and slip- 
pers, worked in gold thread. It was not long after the flood be- 
fore Mr. Carr began to realize the effects of his experience, for 
he was attacked by inflammatory rheumatism, and was kept 
housed for more than seven months. Ex-marshal George P. Kane 
upon coming into office as mayor in 1878, appointed Mr. Carr 
to be Judge of the Appeal Tax Court, in which position Judge 
Carr served with marked ability, until March, 1882, when the 
Hon. William Pinkncy Whyte, then Mayor of Baltimore, recog- 
nizing Judge Carr's worth as an executive officer, appointed him 
Commissioner of Street Cleaning, a department of the municipal 
government that had just been created. Judge Carr organized 
this department, and having gotten it into thorough working 
order, retired at the end of the year and entered again into ac- 
tive business life, where he remained until March, 1884, when 
the Hon. Ferdinand C. Latrobe. who was again elected Mayor of 
the city, tendered Judge Carr a seat upon the Bench of the Ap- 
peal Tax Court, in which capacity he is still serving, having 
been re-commissioned by the Hon. James Hodges, who succeeded 
Mr. Latrobe as Mayor. Recently, at the death of Judge H. Clay 
Dallam, Judge Carr was elected Chief Judge by his colleagues. 

Judge Carr's wife, who is still living, was Miss Amanda 



^jk®*- 




1 



HON. WILLIAM H. B. FUSSELBAUGH 



OUR POLICE. 73 

Wright, a daughter of John Wright, one of the " Old De- 
fenders" of Baltimore in the war of 1812. His whole family 
of seven children, three sons and four daughters, is still living. 
One of the former, the Hon. Alfred J. Carr, now holds the same 
office which his father held just twenty years ago, and another, 
Mr. James E. Carr, Jr., is a well-known lawyer. 

Judge William H. B. Fusselbaugh, now of the Appeal Tax 
Court bench, was a member of the Board of Police Commission- 
ers from the reorganization of the force, in 1867, until 1881. He 
was elected by the Legislature to membership in the Board at 
the same time with Judge Carr and the late Lefevre Jarrett, and 
shared with them the great labors and responsibilities connected 
with the reorganization of the police force after its long and tur- 
bulent career under the war regime. At the close of his first 
term, in 1871, Commissioner Fusselbaugh was re-elected by the 
Legislature for a term of six years, and in the same year he was 
made President of the Board, a distinction which he retained 
until the close of his connection with the police department. In 
1877 he was again re-elected, this time for four years, the law 
having been changed since his previous appointment. At the 
close of this term he retired to private life again for some years. 
Judge Fusselbaugh was born here on September 18, 1825. He 
was educated at private schools in this city and then went into 
the oil and paint business with his father, whom he succeeded, 
at the latter's death, in 1847. He continues this business, and 
his store at Gay and Exeter streets is one of the oldest mercan- 
tile establishments in Baltimore. Judge Fusselbaugh has always 
taken a lively interest in political affairs, and has always been a 
Democrat. The first political office he held was that of member 
of the Board of Tax Control and Review, to which he was ap- 
pointed by the Legislature, in 1852. In March, 1886, after 
Judge Fusselbaugh had been in private life for five years, he 
was offered the position on the bench of the Appeal Tax Court, 
which he now occupies. 

Commissioner Jarrett was a prominent business man of Balti- 
more at the time he was appointed by the Legislature a member 
of the Board. He conducted for many years one of the largest 



74 OUR POLICE. 

tailoring businesses in the South in Baltimore street, next door 
to the office of the Daily American. He was born in this city, 
on November 28, 1824, and died suddenly, while still in office, on 
February 25, 1870. His funeral was the occasion of one of the 
greatest popular demonstrations ever witnessed in Baltimore at 
the burial of one of her citizens. 



OUR POLICE. 75 



CHAPTER V. 

Flood of 1868, and Riot of 1877. 

baltimore inundated. — brave work by policemen. — com- 
missioner carr's gallantry. — his terrible experience 
in the flood and his rescue. — policemen who aided 

THE DESTITUTE. — THE POLICE SPECIAL FUND AND ITS DIS- 
POSITION BY THE COMMISSIONERS. — THE CHANGES IN THE 
BOARD. — THE RIOTS OF 1877, AND THE MORAL THEY TAUGHT. 
— THE POLICE FORCE IN 1885. 

The city was afflicted on Friday, July 24, 1868, with a 
calamity, which formed a fitting close to what was perhaps the 
most eventful decade in Baltimore's history. It was the memora- 
ble and disastrous flood which proved so conclusively of what brave 
men the police force was composed, and how efficient was their 
organization. For several days previous to the flood the rain 
had fallen in torrents, saturating the earth and swelling the 
streams among the hills of Baltimore and Howard counties. 
The land, therefore, was almost incapable of absorbing any more 
of the moisture, when on Friday morning the rain came as if in 
realization of some awful plan of nature, and in pursuance of 
the preparation which preceded it. 

The cause of the flood has been variously attributed to the 
overflowing of Lake Roland ; to the breaking of a water-spout in 
the neighborhood of the Queen Spring Valley, and to a number 
of other things equally unsatisfactory. But as similar floods 
occurred at various places along the Atlantic slope of the Alle- 
ghenies, the inundation is doubtless to be attributed wholly to the 
heavy fall of rain which began on the morning of July 24, and 
lasted until 1 o'clock of the same day. The part most difficult 
to explain, is the rapidity with which the streams rose. The 
Patapsco river at Ellicott City and Jones Falls, rose at the rate 
of five feet in ten minutes ; the water came down those streams 
like a great wave on the sea-short. The river at Ellicott City 



76 OUR POLICE. 

rose ten feet before a drop of rain had fallen there, and was at 
one time forty feet high. In this city the rise was so rapid that 
a gentleman entering a cigar store from a dry street returned 
with a lighted cigar to find himself knee deep in a rapidly rush- 
ing stream. A passenger car, while crossing a street, was caught 
by the flood, and with its passengers was swept several blocks 
toward the river. The market men were caught at their work, 
and only had time to get on their benches and stalls for safety, 
and these were washed away with their occupants. Terrible as 
was the catastrophe in Baltimore, it was much worse in Ellicott 
City. Had it occurred at night the loss of life that it must have 
caused is fearful to contemplate. 

It was about ten o'clock in the morning when the water first rose 
above the banks of Jones Falls, and began to flood the low streets 
of this city. Slowly, at their beginning, the floods covered Har- 
rison street, but in a moment they rushed down Harrison street, 
increasing in volume at each minute, until the bed of the street 
was filled with a swollen and powerful stream, whirling on in its 
surface the shattered remains of ruined homesteads, wrecks of 
furniture, and, in fact, almost everything in ordinary and com- 
mon use. When it reached Baltimore street the stream divided 
into three currents. One rushed like a torrent to the right, the 
other to the left, and the third ran with more slowness down the 
center of the market. Above the roar of the vortex could be 
heard the shrieks of women and children, and the cries of men 
for help, as they were whirled along with the furious current. 
Even carriages, with their occupants, were caught up and carried 
along. For some hours after the awful scenes of destruction had 
begun in the center of the city, the greater part of the population 
of the upper portions, kept indoors by the pouring rain, had no 
idea of the dreadful occurrences below. An extra edition of the 
Evening Commercial, published at about two o'clock, gave them 
their first intimation of the disaster. When the flood first ap- 
peared on Harrison street the police busied themselves aiding 
the residents of the street to carry their household goods to places 
of safety. In a few moments, however, they were obliged to turn 
their attention towards rescuing the people themselves. Alarms 




HON. JAMES E. CARR. 



OUR POLICE. 79 

■were rung, and men called in from all the stations, to the scene. 
Numerous boats were promptly ordered from the wharves by 
the Police Commissioners, and were hurried to the inundated 
district. They were manned by experienced boatmen and police- 
men. Most of the boats were launched from the Holliday Street 
Theatre, and were sent thence, under the direction of Commis- 
sioner James E. Carr, through Calvert, North Holliday, and 
other streets, for the purpose of removing families and furniture 
to places of safety. On the streets, running at right angles with 
Harrison street, the streams were by no means so turbulent as in 
the thoroughfares running parallel with Jones Falls, and they 
experienced but little of the fierce current that dashed through 
the latter. Many persons refused the proffered aid, preferring 
to guard their property. In the neighborhood of North, Davis 
and Bath streets thieves were busy plying their trade. They 
were principally young negroes. The' police captured a number 
of them, who were afterwards convicted and sentenced to long 
terms of imprisonment. One citizen appealed most piteously to 
Commissioner Jarrett to send policemen to his house, into which 
he had seen some men swim. The Commissioner and a party got 
into a boat and pulled in the direction of the house, mooring their 
boat at a second-story window, through which an entrance was 
made., A search of the premises discovered that his money, 
amounting to $570, was gone. Shortly afterwards it was ascer- 
tained that his wife, fearing the flood, had secured the money on 
her person without informing her husband. At about four 
o'clock in the afternoon an exciting scene took place on Saratoga 
street, between Gay and Holliday streets. A boat, .in which 
were Commissioner James E. Carr, Sergeant Charles McComas, 
Wm. Henry Collier, and a colored man, had gone to the second 
story of a tenement on the east side of Saratoga street, nearly 
opposite the Central District station-house, to remove several 
children. Immediately in front of the house was lodged a large 
quantity of driftwood, consisting of beams and logs, alongside of 
which the current was running with fearful rapidity. In at- 
tempting to stem the tide and effect a landing on the driftwood. 
which the rescuing party thought to be securely lodged against 



80 OUR POLICE. 

the houses, an oar was dropped overboard, and Mr. Carr, in at- 
tempting to recover it, was flung forcibly into the seething yellow 
water. Sergeant McComas, in trying to catch him, was also 
precipitated into the stream, together with the colored man. 
Confusion ensued, and the three men floated helplessly along 
with the tide, Commissioner Carr very rapidly, for he had been 
thrown out into the current. The others succeeded in reaching 
the pile of driftwood, but the Commissioner was whirled away 
out of sight, notwithstanding his powerful efforts to swim into 
stiller waters. A shout at once went up that Commissoner Carr 
was drowned. He had been seen to disappear under the water, 
and everybody supposed his corpse would be found after the 
flood subsided. The Evening Commercial quickly published the 
rumor in an extra edition. An hour later it was happily proved 
to be incorrect, for the Commissioner was rescued at the corner 
of Fayette and Harrison streets. He had been washed from 
Saratoga street into Harrison street, catching at various fixed 
articles, and endeavoring to pull himself out of the water, but 
being unable to do so. At one time he caught hold of a bal- 
cony, but was forced from it by the inhuman owner of the house, 
lest he should break off the balcony ! From Fayette street he 
was seen by a number of citizens, however. One of them, an 
expert swimmer, tied a rope around his waist, and while the other 
end of the rope was held by some persons standing in the shal- 
low water, he swam out to the middle of the street. Recogniz- 
ing the Commissioner, who was at that time almost exhausted, 
after an hour's battle with the waves the citizen made to him 
the Odd Fellows' signal of distress. The Commissioner let go 
his hold on the house to which he was clinging, and allowed 
himself to float down the stream toward his rescuer. He was 
quickly pulled out of the water. The news then spread, amid 
much rejoicing, that Commissioner Carr had been rescued, which 
the latter hastened to give visible proof of to his friends by 
hurrying as soon as he recovered, back to the place where they 
had seen him disappear. 

His two companions in distress, Sergeant McComas and the 
colored man, who had succeeded in reaching the pile of debris, 



OUR POLICE. 81 

had floated a short distance further down the stream. Their 
position was an extremely dangerous one, but they were rescued 
by Detective Richards, who got into a boat and steered it towards 
the men, persons holding it from the second story windows of a 
house by a long rope. When the imperiled men succeeded in 
escaping into the boat, the craft was hauled back against the tide. 

A somewhat amusing incident occurred at the Gay street 
bridge. Mayor Banks was inspecting the scene of the flood late 
at night, after the waters had fallen to such an extent as to be 
confined within the limits of the banks of Jones Falls. A great 
crowd of people was still on the streets. Noticing a large 
number on the Gay street bridge, which seemed liable to fall at 
any moment, he ordered a policeman to clear the structure. 
The officer, not recognizing the Mayor, turned on him fiercely : 

" Do you want that bridge cleared V* he cried. 

" Yes, and at once," replied the Mayor. 

u Well, clear it yourself, then!" said the policeman, as he 
seized Mayor Banks by the collar, and swung him forcibly into 
the crowd. 

Nothing could be more abject than the man's apologies, when 
he discovered whom he had assaulted. 

Captain Frey, now Marshal of the police force, then in charge 
of the Southern District, who had been ordered at the beginning 
of the flood to report at the Holliday Street Theatre, with as 
many men as he could get together, was soon returned to his 
own district, when it was learned that the floods had invaded 
his precinct also, and that the bridges were in danger. His men 
remained at work all day and all night, recovering property and 
bodies as they floated down the stream. They took several 
thousand dollars' worth of goods from the water and eighteen 
corpses, most of which had been washed down from Ellicott city. 
His men worked for several days afterward, looking for property 
and bodies among the debris. In the middle precinct also, a 
number of bodies were recovered and a large amount of property 
returned to its owners. Several thieves, who took advantage 
of the disaster to rob unprotected houses, were also caught and 
punished. 



82 OUR POLICE. 

It was not until the night after the inundation that the dilapi- 
dated old Middle station was sufficiently cleared of the five- 
inch deep deposit of mud that covered it, to permit of its occu- 
pation, and then Captain Mitchell and his officers only used the 
upper floor. On the following day the citizens of Baltimore, 
with their proverbial liberality, set about to relieve the distress 
of the victims of the flood. The police carried private alms where 
they knew immediate relief was needed, until the Citizens Re- 
lief Committee opened its headquarters for the distribution of 
aid. 

Among the methods of raising money for the relief of the 
suffering, was a benefit given at the Holliday Theatre on Satur- 
day evening, August 1, on which occasion John E. Owens played 
"Major "Wellington de Boots," in "Everybody's Friend" The 
tickets for the benefit were sold by the police. When the returns 
were handed in, they showed a total of §3,601.50. There were 
but four districts in the city at this time, it will be remembered. 
The money was immediately handed over by Marshal Farlow to 
manager John T. Ford, to Avhose generosity the benefit was due. 
That gentleman, in company with Mayor Banks, proceeded at 
once to the office of the Relief Committee, and gave over 
the entire amount, not deducting any part on account of his 
expenses, etc. 

A few weeks later, when the excitement had subsided, and the 
devastated district was beginning to be restored, the City Coun- 
cils passed resolutions of thanks to the police, for their services 
during the terrible Friday of the flood. 

The first report of the new Board of Commissioners, made to 
the State Legislature, was dated January 18, 1870. It included 
the transactions of the department during the years 1868 and 
1869. There had been comment of slightly unfavorable charac- 
ter, upon the number of policemen employed. The critics de- 
clared that the number was excessive, and that taxation was un- 
necessarily increased. The Commissioners called the attention 
of the Legislature to the fact that Baltimore then had a popula- 
tion of very nearly 400,000 persons, and that the entire police 
force consisted of only 563 members. These policemen, the 



OUR POLICE. 83 

Board asserted, were apportioned among twenty wards, giving an 
average of not more than twenty-eight of the regular force to 
each of them to serve both night and day, with no suitable 
reserve for emergencies. This explanation by the Commissioners 
was so sweeping that there was no further comment made upon 
the excessive number of policemen. Any criticism thereafter 
was rather in the contrary direction. The Board, during the 
first two years of its service, had many things brought to its at- 
tention which demanded reform. Among the^e was the preva- 
lence of prize-fights in the vicinity. Northern ruffians were in 
the habit of coming to Baltimore county, and here settling their 
claims of prowess in the most brutal fashion, They evaded the 
law giving the Police Commission power to arrest or " shadow" 
men from the city, by making their rendezvous outside of the 
city limits. The Commissioners appealed to the State, and had 
the law so modified that prize-fighting soon became a reminis- 
cence. Another evil was the increase in the number of private 
detective agencies in town. Under the most favorable circum- 
stances, these organizations are provocative of blackmailing. 
Every good police official looks at them with doubt, and they are 
in many cases used by the criminal as feelers, to ascertain what 
the authorities are about. The detective service of the police 
department had just about got itself into an excellent state of 
efficiency in 1869, and the Commissioners were anxious to relieve 
it from every embarrassment, so again the Legislature was ap- 
pealed to. The State authorities responded, and gave the 
department the same power of control over these agencies as it 
had over all other bodies engaged in the discovery or prosecution 
of crime. It was in October, 1867, that the Board forbid all 
processions through the streets of any organizations not part of 
the army or navy of the United States, without first procuring 
permits. This action was occasioned by a sad experience the city 
had early in the month. During a parade of a negro company, 
some persons in a crowd of onlookers began to jeer and torment 
the paraders. One of the colored men lost his control, and 
drawing a revolver, fired into the crowd, killing a young white man 
named Charles A. Ellermeyer. The paraders were attacked bv 



84 OUR POLICE. 

the indignant citizens, and a riot was prevented only by the 
prompt appearance of a large force of police. 

It was on February 25, 1870, that death deprived the Com- 
mission of the services of Mr. Lefevre Jarrett, who had done 
very much to promote the efficiency of the police force. Old 
members of the service remember him, even now, with an affec- 
tion which attests, in a remarkable degree, too, his honesty, 
ability and activity. At the time of Mr. Jarrett's death one 
year of his first term remained and he had been elected for a 
second term of four years. The legislature being then in ses- 
sion elected the Hon. John W. Davis to fill the unexpired first 
term. Thomas W. Morse was chosen by the Legislature to fill 
Mr. Jarrett's unexpired second term, and he took his seat on 
March 15, 1871 succeeding Mr. Davis. 

At the time of his election, Mr. Morse was the representa- 
tive of the First Legislative District of Baltimore in the Gen- 
eral Assembly, having taken his seat on January 1, 1868, 
and Chairman of the Committee on Corporation of the House of 
Delegates. He was re-elected in 1870. As Police Commissioner, 
he served four years, from March 15, 1871, to March 15, 1875. 
At the expiration of his term, the Police Board appointed Mr. 
Morse Police Justice of the Northeastern District, which had 
then been but just formed. At that time the appointment of 
the Police Justices rested with the Board. After one year of 
service, the appointing power having been transferred to the Gov- 
ernor, Mr. Morse was twice reappointed by Governor Carroll for 
terms of two years each . Governor Hamilton renewed Mr. Morse's 
commission, he being the only Justice reappointed out of the 
six incumbents. In the autumn of 1884, Mr. Morse was elected 
Chief Clerk of the second branch of the City Councils, which 
office he filled for one year. He was born in the city of Balti- 
more, on October 30, 1829. He served an apprenticeship as a 
wood-carver, and became a member of the firm of Hays & Morse. 
From 1860 until 1873, he was in business by himself, when he 
lost his property by fire. Mr. Morse is now a member of the 
firm of Thomas W. Morse & Co., furniture dealers, on Baltimore 
street. 




HON. THOMAS W. MORSE. 



OUR POLICE 87 

The detective force under this new Board, reached the plane of 
efficiency from which it has not since descended. During the 
latter part of 1870 and 1871, it succeeded in making about 200 
arrests, and securing the return of property valued at nearly 
$46,000. The Board also completed the police station of the 
Middle (now Central) District, in North street, and plans were 
adopted for the building of additions to the remaining three sta- 
tions. It was in April, 1870, that Marshal Farlow retired, and 
the Deputy-Marshal, John T. Gray, succeeded him. On the 19th, 
Captain Jacob Frey, of the Southern District, was advanced to 
the position of Deputy-Marshal, and thus the executive branch 
of the service changed its personnel at about the same time as the 
Commission did. The spring of 1872 was a memorable one in 
the history of the financial branch of the Police Board. The 
District Stations had not been pleasant places for the lodgement 
of the reserve squad of policemen, nor healthful for those officers 
who were obliged to spend most of their time within their doors. 
The Commissioners had been brought to notice this by the in- 
crease in mortality in the force, and they determined to take some 
prompt action to remedy it. There was a large amount of money 
in the special fund, which they regarded as available for this pur- 
pose. They purchased in 1872, the plot of land in Pennsylvania 
avenue upon which the Northwestern Station now stands for 
$10,000. Work was at once begun upon the station-house. 
Plans were made and passed upon, and work was about to begin 
on the other new buildings, when the Board was advised that it 
had no authority for its action. The Legislature was appealed 
to, the Commissioners showing in their report of 1874 that on 
December, 1873, the fund amounted to $43,684.84. Out of this 
it was proposed to erect an additional station in the Northeastern 
District. The Legislature immediately gave the Commissioners 
the desired power, and also ended the system of the payment of 
Police Justices by fees instead of salaries, diverting the large in- 
come from fines, etc., for violations of the law, into the treasury 
of the police department. This act of the State authorities added 
so greatly to the resources of the Board, that from then until 
now, a great proportion of the improvements in the department 



88 OUR POLICE. 

have been made with this money, without resorting to special 
appropriation. The Legislature of this year made, also, an im- 
portant change in the terms of service of the Commissioners. It 
enacted that while numerically the Commission should remain 
the same, the terms of office of the members of the Board should 
be varied. "One of them," the act reads, "shall be elected 
and appointed for two years ; one for four years, and one for 
six years, who shall hold office until their respective successors 
are elected, or appointed and qualified. * * * * As the 
terms of office expire as designated above, they shall be filled or 
appointed for six years each." It was under this new law that 
Mr. John Milroy and Colonel Harry Gilmor were appointed. 

Commissioner Milroy was born in this city on April 21, 1823, 
and died while a member of the Police Board, on May 22, 1886. 
His private business, up to the time of his election as Police 
Commissioner, was that of a brickmaker. He and John W. 
Davis owned an extensive brick-yard, in South Baltimore, which 
was sold out the time he first assumed office on the Police 
Board. His first appointment was in 1874, for two years, 
which he served and then retired. But about fourteen months 
later, on the resignation of Commissioner Colonel Harry Gil- 
mor, Governor Carroll appointed him to fill that gentleman's un- 
expired term. In 1878, the Legislature elected him for a term 
of six years, and he continued, therefore, to serve without inter- 
mission until his death. 

Colonel Harry Gilmor was born at Glen Ellen, the homestead of 
his father, the late Robert Gilmor, in Baltimore county, on January 
24, 1838. His mother was Miss Ellen Ward, daughter of Judge 
William Ward, of Wilmington, Del. He was educated by a 
private tutor, and lived at his father's farm until the breaking 
out of the war, when, with a number of other adventuresome 
young Marylanders, who were .advocates of rebellion, he went 
South and joined the Confederate army. His gallant career dur- 
ing the war is a matter of national history, and finds no part in 
this work. At the close of the war, Colonel Gilmor returned to 
Baltimore and engaged in business until 1872, when he was elected 
a Police Commissioner. Lis term beginning in 1873. During 







■K* 



JOHN MILROY 



OUR POLICE. 91 

his service he was mainly instrumental in introducing tactics and 
discipline into the city police force. The good effects of his in- 
novations were evidenced during the riots of 1877, at which time 
Colonel Gilmor's bravery and coolness did much towards protect- 
ing property and life from the mob. He served until 1878, when 
he resigned and was succeded by Mr. Milroy. Colonel Gilmor, 
in 1875, lost one of his eyes, the ball being excised without chlo- 
roform. During the long and painful operation he showed great 
nerve, never wincing under the lancet. In the autumn of 1882 
a cancerous affection appeared on the side of Colonel Gilmor's 
face, the result of a wound in the jaw which he received during 
the war. After several months of intense suffering he died on 
March 4, 1883. His funeral was one of the greatest ever seen 
in Baltimore. Shortly after the close of the war Colonel Gil- 
mor wrote his book, " Four Years in the Saddle," which Prince 
Hohenlohe, of Prussia, pronounced one of the greatest cavalry 
stories ever written, and ordered it translated into German. 
A monument to the memory of Colonel Gilmor was recently 
erected by the police force and the Confederate soldiers of Balti- 
more. 

At noon on March 15, 1875, Messrs. James E. Carr and 
Thomas W. Morse, the retiring Commissioners, gave place to 
their successors, a thorough examination of accounts was pro- 
ceeded with, and the new Commission began the duties of its 
office under the most favorable auspices. It was given pow- 
ers no former Board had exercised, having control of the dis- 
position of the special fund and the privilege of rewarding 
deserving policemen with liberality, and the power to pension 
members of the force who had served the department for sixteen 
consecutive years with one-third of their current salary. All 
of these powers had been conferred by the Legislature of 1874. 
The new Board immediately began a crusade against gambling 
houses and other places of notorious resort, and succeeded in 
securing the commendations of every respectable citizen for the 
results of its endeavors. In this work the Commissioners were 
ably assisted by Judge Robert Gilmor, of the Criminal Court. An 
act of General Assembly approved in April, 1876, required that 



92 OUR POLICE. 

the census of the voting population of this city should be taken by 
the police department preparatory to a redivision of the "wards 
into precincts, which should contain as nearly as possible 500 
voters each. This was excessively important work for the de- 
partment to undertake in connection with the performance of its 
regular duties, but the task was accomplished nevertheless in two 
months, the number of recorded voters being 69,642. The re- 
division which ensued required an increase of thirty -five in the 
number of the precincts in the twenty wards of the city, making 
the whole number 115. A second census was taken by the police 
department in August, 1877, and it was then found that the actual 
number of voters was considerably less than the old number, being 
but 66,525. The creation of the new precincts was followed by 
excellent results ; citizens were enabled to deposit their ballots 
without delay or other inconvenience, order was more easily 
maintained and a distribution of classes was attained whereby the 
opportunity for and the provocation to discussion at the polls were 
reduced to the minimum. At the elections since then, even the 
memorable one of 1876, the greatest public interest was aroused 
but the peace was not infringed upon in the slightest degree and 
the best of order prevailed at all the voting places. 

In 1876 the Board continued to devote its energies to making 
the surroundings of the hard life of a policeman as pleasant 
as possible. It bought a plot on the northwest corner of 
Pine street and Pin alley for $7,300, as the site for the Western 
Police Station ; and paid for the Northeastern Station improve- 
ment $32,845.37. At noon on March 15, 1877, Mr. John 
Milroy formally retired as a member of the Commission, and 
General James R. Herbert, who had been elected to succeed him 
began the performance of his duties. 

General James R. Herbert was a member of the Board of 
Police Commissioners from 1877 until his death on August 5, 
1884. He was treasurer of the board. He was one of the most 
popular gentlemen in the State of Maryland from the time he 
•entered upon his public career. He was born on August 18, 
1833, at Woodstock, Howard County, Md., descending from one 
of the oldest families in this part of the country. After being 



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COLONEL HARRY GILMOR. 



OUR POLICE. 95 

graduated from Hallowell College, Alexandria, he traveled abroad, 
and returning to Baltimore embarked in the produce commission 
business. Among the first to take his place at the front as a 
Confederate when the late war broke out, his gallant conduct on 
the field and his great military ability resulted in his rapid pro- 
motion from the ranks through a succession of steps until he 
reached the grade of Brigadier-general. He commanded the 
Militia during the riots of 1877. His term in the police board 
began on March 15, 1877. In 1883 he was re-elected, but death 
overtook him after he had served less than a year and a half of 
his six years term. 

Within three months after Mr. Milroy retired the city was given 
over to bloodshed. The riots of 1877 were in some senses even 
more serious than those of 1 861, for Baltimore at the later period 
was the most prosperous city south of Philadelphia, and any 
trouble among any classes of its citizens was bound to have an 
evil influence. The details of the terrible struggle which the 
police had with the rioters will be found in the chapter which is 
devoted to the deeds of Marshal Frey. In this place it will be 
fitting simply to use the lessons learned from the experience, as 
set forth in the report of the Police Commissioners to the State 
Legislature. This is as follows : 

The' ability of the force to deal with our turbulent and dangerous classes as 
well as the numbers, nature and disposition of those classes was very palpably 
demonstrated upon the occasion of the unfortunate riots of last July. Long 
periods of immunity from popular outbreaks and scenes of turbulence and 
violence are apt to make people forgetful of the slumbering elements that 
lurk in large communities, and confidence so engendered too often begets a 
fatal carelessness. It is easy when danger is not apparent to disdain the 
means of protection, but the occurrences of last July showed how great was the 
peril and how urgent the sudden necessity of that hour; and it was a 
matter for common thankfulness that the strength, courage and discipline 
of the police force rendered it equal to the emergency and saved the city from 
the horrors that were experienced in less well-protected places. There was at 
that time a spirit of lawlessness abroad that portended the gravest danger, and 
which could be only dealt with by decisive, prompt and vigorous action. The 
whole police force was brought to bear upon it. Some hundreds were arrested 
and incarcerated in the face of the boldest defiance and most desperate resist- 
ance; organized raids were made upon bodies of outlaws threatening to burn 
and pillage suburban points of the city, and finally the spirit of the mob was 



96 OUR POLICE. 

quelled and the danger averted. It was a mob composed not of mechanics or 
laborers, nor in any sense was it representative of the labor interest or of the 
dissatisfied unemployed ; it consisted of the class already alluded to, supple- 
mented in a measure by tramps, and was precisely that element with which it 
is the province of the police to deal. 

While the whole uniformed police force as well as the detective force — 
which latter rendered the most important and valuable service — was on duty 
at the points where the greatest danger appeared, the Board of Police Com- 
missioners called into requisition the services of 118 citizens, and commissioned 
them as special policemen under the provisions of section 810 of the police 
law. This employment involved a cost to the city of $2,302.50. Among those 
who responded promptly to the summons and who performed active duty 
without pay may be mentioned Messrs. James H. Barney, E. Wyatt Blanchard, 
C. Morton Stewart, John Donnell Smith, Gilmor Hoffman, Frank Frick, Wil- 
liam M. Pegram and William A. Fisher. 

The police organization continued to grow in efficiency, ad- 
ding strength, courage, trustworthiness and solidity as the time 
progressed. The discipline was exceedingly rigid, but it was 
fraught with great things for Baltimore, for it made the police 
machine, although complicated, as all exquisite results of the 
human mind must be, still so capable of being wielded by its 
officers that no occasion could arise and find it in any sense 
unprepared. The members of the force besides actually working 
an average of twelve hours a day — the day force thirteen hours, 
the night men eleven hours — are always liable to extra calls for 
special duty. They were never permitted to go without their 
uniforms unless ordered upon special duty. The policemen's 
holiday comprised only those three days in the year when he had 
leave of absence. During all the rest of the time he remained 
under command, and was required to be always at the call of his 
superiors. His actual average daily service, including the time 
for him to go to the station and return to his lodgings, averaged 
thirteen hours a day — fourteen hours for the men on day duty, 
twelve hours for the night men — and this it is to be remembered 
was for 362 days in every year. The artisan, tradesman, mer- 
chant or clerk who is employed eight hours a day during six 
days in the week, works 2,504 hours in the year, but the average 
of the policeman's service is 4,844 hours. The service then as 
now and as it will always remain, is trying and dangerous. At 




GEN. JAMES It. HERBERT. 



OUR POLICE. 99 

the beginning of April, 1878, the Western police station was 
completed and occupied at a cost of $41,909.70. The structure 
was deeded to the city. On April 12 of the same year, Mr. 
John Milroy again became commissioner, filling the chair re- 
signed by Colonel Harry Gilmor. 

The work of the police department was conducted without any 
conspicuous or in any sense noteworthy change until 1880, when 
there was a change in the composition of the board, Mr. William 
H. B. Fusselbaugh, the president, retiring. Mr. Fusselbaugh 
was on March 15, 1881, succeeded by Mr. George Colton, one of 
the most influential men in the State politics. Commissioner 
Colton was born in Portsmouth, England, on October 31, 1817. 
His father, John Colton, was a soldier in the English army and 
was one of those who stood the draft for the battle of Waterloo. 
In 1819 John Colton emigrated to the United States, bringing 
young George with him. He settled at Leonardstown, in St. 
St. Mary's county. At the age of twelve years George Colton 
was left an orphan. In his early life Mr. Colton had but few 
opportunities of education. He was apprenticed to the tailor's 
trade, serving six years, and devoting his leisure hours to reading 
and study. He started in business for himself at Leonardstown, 
and was quite successful until 1847, when he lost all his accumu- 
lations by fire. He then came to Baltimore after compromising 
with his creditors for sixty cents on the dollar. Fourteen years 
later he paid them the remaining forty cents. 

During the administration of President Polk, Mr. Colton was 
Postmaster at West River, and in 1852 he was appointed in- 
spector in one of the State tobacco warehouses in this city, where 
he remained for seven years. During that time he became well 
and favorably known to most of the leading men of the State. 
In 1860 he was appointed Purveyor of the Baltimore City and 
County Almshouse. In 1865 Mr. Colton purchased the Mary- 
land Republican, published at Annapolis, one of the oldest news- 
papers in the State, having been first issued in 1809. Under 
his management it became exceedingly influential. For many 
years Mr. Colton has been prominent in politics, and at the 
close of the war he was recognized as one of the leaders of the 



100 OUR POLICE. 

Democratic party in Maryland. From 1868 to 1874 he was 
representative in the General Assembly from the Nineteenth 
Ward of Baltimore. He was State Printer from 1868 to 1882. 
For ten years he served as a Director of the Baltimore and Ohio 
Railroad, besides holding several minor offices in the company. 
He has also been Visitor to the Industrial School of Orphan 
Girls and Trustee of Bay View Asylum. 

On August 16, 1881, the board dismissed its clerk, Mr. Mar- 
riott Boswell, for cause, and unanimously elected Mr. George Sav- 
age, secretary of the board. At about this time the Police Com- 
missioners had a census taken of the voting population of the city 
of Baltimore with the following results: whites, 66,824; colored, 
11,924; making a total of 78,748, and showing an increase in 
the voting population since 1879 of 7,239. On March 15, 1882, 
the Legislature empowered the Police Board to grant each police- 
man seyen days on leave of absence each year, instead of three 
as before, and gave them the privilege of drawing full pay for 
any time off duty, when their absence was caused by sickness or 
death in their families. The Legislature also empowered the 
Commission, on April 3, to appoint one captain and twenty-five 
men in addition to the force then existing. This ' appointment 
was secured by Captain Lewis W. Cadwallader, who was assigned 
to the command of the detectives. He is now in charge of the 
Western district. Just previous to the elections in November, 
1882 and 1883, there had been much newspaper speculation on 
the possible action of the police in the contest. President Colton 
issued a series of general orders which called the attention of the 
police to this, and warned every member that if they should lend 
themselves in any way to further in the slightest degree the po- 
litical ambitions of any person or persons who were running for 
office, the offender would be summarily dismissed. The admitted 
fairness of all elections in this city during these contests and since 
has been unqualifiedly due to the admirable conduct of the police 
force at the polls, and the avoidance of any trouble at the ballot- 
ing places is unquestionably due to the same cause. In the early 
part of 1883, this city was subjected to a small-pox epidemic, so- 
wide-reaching that for a time the utmost consternation existed 



ffijfe' 




HON. GEORGE COLTON. 



OUR POLICE. 103 

even among the wealthier classes. During this time many mem- 
bers of the service, especially in the Eastern and Southern dis- 
tricts, acted heroically in gh ing aid and lending assistance to the 
sufferers. No officer in the department failed to do his duty in 
these trying times. Numbers of them went voluntarily into the 
houses of suffering, carrying food and medicine to the plague- 
stricken. On March 15, 1883, General Herbert presented his 
credentials recommissioning him as a member of the board for six 
years, and upon taking his seat was re-elected treasurer of the 
board. In September, 1883, the board was called upon to record 
upon its minutes the death of Captain Franklin Kenney of the 
Eastern district, and ordered the department into mourning for 
ten days. 

There were few eventful occurrences in the transactions of the 
Police Board from the re-election of General Herbert to his 
death on August 5, 1884. The General had secured the affec- 
tions of his colleagues as well as those of every man on the force, 
and his loss was deeply lamented. John W. Davis was appointed 
by the Governor to fill General Herbert's place and he qualified 
on August 9, Mr. Milroy being elected Treasurer of the Board. 
In September, 1885, Mr. Davis resigned and Mr. J. D. Fergu- 
son being selected by the Governor, took his seat after qualify- 
ing on September 26, 1885. 

At the time J. D. Ferguson took his seat in the Board he was 
a member of the Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore, 
to which office he had been commissioned April 28, 1884, and 
which he resigned to become a member of the Police Commission. 
He served until the following March, when Commissioner Robson 
was elected his successor. During his incumbency Mr. Ferguson 
took a deep interest in his duties, and prepared the report of the 
Board to the Legislature for 1885-86, which contained many 
valuable suggestions as to the conduct of police affairs, many of 
which have since been carried out. Owing to the illness of Mr. 
Milroy, the Treasurer of the Board, Mr. Ferguson also discharged 
his duties. Mr. Ferguson was born in South Carolina, on May 
30, 1837, and was admitted to the bar in his native State in 
1858. He served throughout the war in the Confederate army. 



104 CUR POLICE. 

On September 22, 1863, he was commissioned Major and assigned 
to the Second Division of the Army of Northern Virginia, com- 
manded by General Fitz Hugh Lee, now Governor of Virginia. 
General Lee made him his Chief-of-staff, in which capacity Mr. 
Ferguson served until the end of the war. He was imprisoned 
in Fort Delaware and after his discharge returned to South Caro- 
lina, where he engaged in rice-planting until 1867. In that year 
Mr. Ferguson came to Baltimore, where he resumed the practice 
of his profession. For fifteen years he was Secretary of the 
Maryland Jockey Club. When the Academy of Music was built 
Mr. Ferguson was offered the position of Manager, and for five 
years he conducted its affairs in a skillful manner. He is now 
United States Bank Examiner for Maryland and Delaware. 

It mio-ht be interesting to record here the condition of the 
police force of this city at the period about which we are writing. 
The entire number of men enrolled as capable for patrol service 
was only 499, not making allowances for such members as were 
for the time incapacitated by sickness or on leave of absence. 
This inadequate force was expected, and actually fulfilled the ex- 
pectations, to guard a city of 400,000 inhabitants, 7,665 acres 
of houses, and nearly 350 miles of streets and alleys. It was 
according to the State law " to preserve the public peace, prevent 
crime, arrest offenders, protect the rights of persons and property, 
guard the public health, preserve order at all primary and other 
public meetings, prevent and remove nuisances in all streets, 
highways, water courses, etc. ; provide a proper police force at every 
fire, protect strangers and emigrants and travellers at all land- 
ings and railway stations, see to the enforcement of all laws re- 
lating to elections, the observance of Sunday, pawn-brokers, gam- 
bling, intemperance, and lotteries, vagrants, disorderly persons, 
and the public health, and to enforce all ordinances of the Mayor 
and City Council, properly enforceable by a police force." For 
some time before this Commission assumed office, the police offi- 
cials, and particularly President Colton, were frequently made 
aware of the inadequacy of the methods used for transferring 
prisoners, or transporting police to scenes of disturbance with 
any rapidity. The growth of the city made the necessity of 




MAJOR J. D. FERGUSON. 



OUR POLICE. 107 

providing some means to add to the prompt work of the patrolman 
more apparent, and so, on October 26, 1885, the police alarm 
telephone and patrol wagon service was established, the Board 
choosing the Central District as the one best adapted in which to 
prove the efficiency of the new service. A full description of 
this service will be found in another chapter. From the outset 
this branch of the department worked excellently and added 
enormously to the power of the police force to do prompt work. 
From the Central District the system was gradually extended to 
two others, and soon large forces of police were available from 
nearly every part of the city. On December 6, 1885, the Board 
resolved, at the suggestion of President Colton, to change the 
system of patrolling posts then in vogue. Most of the offences 
of policemen tried before the Commissioners consisted of improp- 
erly patrolling beats, or the graver one of sleeping on post. 
Being satisfied that this arose largely from the plan according to 
which the force was worked, and which divided it into a day and 
night force, exacting thirteen hours of continuous duty from the 
former and eleven from the latter, the Board arranged for and 
put into practice the system prevailing in New York and other 
cities. The system was supposed to do away with the unjust 
distinction between day and night men, removing at the same 
time the unseemly pressure often brought by citizens to have a 
favorite officer transferred from the harder night to the easier 
-day service. 

Perhaps the most important duty of the special ones the police 
was and now is required to observe is that which has to do with 
the elections, and especially to preserve the security of the elective 
franchise. Elections in this city in 1885 were conducted at 180 
polling places, usually small rooms in central locations in each 
election precinct. In these rooms were the three judges and two 
clerks required by law. On election days the force was divided 
into details at the various voting places, and the Board felt that 
to allow, at the closing of the polls, to all who might choose to 
attend, unrestricted access to the small room, as required by law. 
would not only impede the judges and clerks in the discharge 
of their duty, but would also put it beyond the power of the 



108 OUR POLICE. 

policemen in charge to suppress any serious disturbance in the 
room. Under these circumstances the Board issued the following 
order : 

INSTRUCTIONS TO POLICE OFFICERS IN CHARGE OF VOTING PRECINCTS. 

1. If any breach of peace occurs while the voting is going on, arrest the 
parlies engaged. If you cannot arrest all at the time, arrest as many as you 
can and procure warrants for the remainder. 

2. Ascertain, if possible, during the morning of the day of election, the 
names of the two persons from each party who will apply for admission to 
the room where the votes are counted when the polls are closed. 

3. When you have learned who these persons are, if you think any of them 
are persons liable to create a disturbance while the votes are being counted, 
take the first opportunity of communicating with the marshal or deputy- 
marshal, and tell them what you think, and they will take steps to remedy 
the difficulty. 

4. When the three judges, two clerks and two designated men from each 
party are in the room where the votes are to be counted, lock the door and see 
that no other persons come in during the count, and take care : 

Fird. That the judges and clerks are not interfered with in their mode of 
counting the ballots, and that no breach of the peace takes place. 

Second. That the two representatives from each party have no words either 
with the judges or clerks or with each other, but confine themselves simply to* 
observing what is being done by the judges, without indulging in any threats 
and comments. If any of the representatives of the different parties act in 
violation of these instructions, place him or them under arrest. 

Remember. That your duty is to see that peace is preserved and that no 
violence is done to the ballot box, but not to interfere with the judges of 
election, or to undertake to do their duty for them. 

Jacob Frey, Marshal. 

These regulations were observed strictly by the police force 
and there were no disturbances recorded at the polls that year, 
nor has there been since then. It was on October 13, 1885 that 
Marshal John T. Gray resigned his position as the executive head 
of the police force and was elected to be Clerk of the Court of 
Common Pleas. He resigned at Mr. Colton's suggestion, as the 
latter did not believe that a man commanding 600 armed men 
should retain that power and strive for an elective office. The 
marshal had served since April 21, 1870. Upon Mr. Gray's 
retirement the following promotions were ordered by the board : 
Jacob Frey, deputy-marshal, to be marshal; John Lannan, 



OUR POLICE. 109 

captain, to be deputy-marshal ; Thomas F. Farnan, lieutenant, 
to be captain. 

Marshal Gray was born on a farm near Belair, in Harford 
county, Maryland. His father was a trader and farmer. The 
boyhood of the future marshal was spent between the duties of 
agriculture, country shop-keeping, and the acquisition of such an 
education as was to be obtained at the private school near his 
home. He had scarcely completed his school days when hi& 
father died, leaving him an orphan, Mrs. Gray having been dead 
a number of years. The young man moved to Baltimore and 
spent nearly two years in the city, when he enlisted as a volunteer 
for the Mexican war, which had just broken out. The battalion 
which he joined was commanded by Lieutenant-colonel W. H. 
Watson, and consisted of 400 young men from Maryland and 
the District of Columbia. They embarked at once on the Steam- 
ship Massachusetts from Alexandria, and in seventeen days were 
landed at the military station on the Island of Brasos, in the mouth 
of the Rio Grande river, where Mr. Gray's battalion became a 
part of General Zachary Taylor's army, which undertook that 
awful mid-summer march of 350 miles from Brasos to Monterey, 
through the stifling alkaline plains of Mexico, when for weeks 
there was not a day on which the thermometer hanging outside of 
the headquarters tent failed to register over 100° in the shade. 
Hundreds of soldiers in that army, notwithstanding the fact that 
it was composed mostly of Southern men, fell by the way. 
Finally, after a journey lasting nearly two months and a half, 
the army reached its destination and gave battle to the Mexicans. 
The fight ended finally in a glorious triumph for the United 
States troops, but the joy of victory was marred for the Maryland 
battalion by the death of its gallant commander. Mr. Gray was 
close by Colonel Watson when the latter fell. 

Monterey was the only important conflict in which Mr. Gray 
took part. He had enlisted for twelve months, and after remain- 
ing in the army a little longer than his time returned to this 
city. The first position he found was a clerkship in a shoe-store 
at East Baltimore and Front streets. He was then less than 
twenty-one years old. He remained in this position until 1850 



HO OUR POLICE. 

when the proprietor of the shop was seized with the gold fever, 
and selling out everything rushed off to California. Mr. Gray 
then secured another position in the same business in which he 
remained until May, 1860, when he was appointed lieutenant of 
police. This was under the first Metropolitan Police Board, so- 
called. For a number of years Mr. Gray had been prominent 
in municipal politics, and he was at this time a well known 
personage in Baltimore. His magnificent physique fitted him 
admirably for a police position, and his appointment by the newly 
created board gave very general satisfaction throughout the city. 
He was assigned at once to duty in the Eastern district, but 
before five weeks had passed he was promoted to the captaincy 
of the Central district then, even to a greater extent than at 
present, the most important district in the city. The old 
central district station was at Holliday and Saratoga streets. 
Speaking about it recently, Mr. Gray said: "It was one of 
the worst buildings I have ever seen put to police use by 
any city. The building was not only so old that it was almost 
ready to tumble down, having been one of the ancient watch- 
houses built when Baltimore was a village, but it was in such 
need of ordinary interior repairs that it was a constant eye- 
sore to us who had to frequent it. But the greatest sufferers 
were the poor prisoners. The lock-up of the station consisted 
of two long narrow rooms each about forty feet long by fifteen 
feet wide, and located in the rear of the building. The drainage 
was so defective that sensitive nostrils could smell the place from 
.a square away. One of these prisoners' rooms was for women 
and one for men, and into them every kind of prisoner was put. 
White and black were mixed together, and a man arrested on the 
charge of violating a corporation ordinance was thrown in with 
a murderer fresh from a bloody brawl. After a while I got the 
police board to give me permission to erect a partition dividing 
the men's quarters into two parts, one much more endurable than 
the other being apart from the source of the foul odors. In 
this newly made apartment I placed all the less guilty class 
of prisoners who were brought in. I was rewarded afterwards 
in an unexpected way for this. It came about thus : At the 





JOHN T. GRAY. 



OUR POLICE. 113 

opening of the war, upon the arrest of Marshal Kane, the police 
board and pretty much the whole of the city government, the 
Provost-marshal who assumed command of the police ordered 
the force to report to him for duty. A large proportion of the 
men refused to acknowledge his authority. I was among the 
number. Consequently my name was dropped from the rolls of 
the department. Whether it was this step or some other action 
of mine I do not know, but the war authorities here thought my 
tendencies were rebellious, and without an explanation for the 
action I was taken into custody one day and locked up in the 
Central Station prison. I happened to be put in the apartment 
I had caused to be partitioned off for the better class of prisoners 
at the time I was captain. There were many other prisoners in 
the station at the same time, arrested as I was, not knowing upon 
what charge they were incarcerated, nor how long they were to 
be imprisoned. After about a week I was released as suddenly 
and as unaccountably as I had been arrested. But I think if I 
had been put in the other cell I would probably have died before 
the week ended." 

Before the trouble between the National Government and the 
Baltimore municipal authorities Captain Gray witnessed some 
exciting events. He was in command of the principal part of 
the .police force which protected the Union troops from the 
assaults of the mob in the terrible riot of April 19, 1861. 
During these riots Captain Gray did not go home for four 
days and four nights, scarcely sleeping at all during that 
time. After being dropped from the roll at the beginning of 
the war, Mr. Gray went into the shoe business again until 
April 27, 1867, when the new Board of Police Commissioners 
appointed him Deputy Marshal of the Police under Marshal 
Farlow. Upon the resignation of the latter, two years after- 
ward, he succeeded him. As Marshal of Baltimore Mr. Gray 
achieved a national reputation by the reforms he instituted and 
by the skill with which lie handled his force on many critical 
occasions. The great Emancipation Jubilee of the negroes in 
1870 was the first serious occasion upon which Marshal Gray's 
skill as a policeman showed itself prominently. This was the 



114 OUR POLICE. 

celebration by the negroes of their emancipation. In Baltimore, 
as well as in all the other Southern cities, certain classes of the 
white population still harbored a bitter feeling against the negroes, 
intensified by the offensive manner in which many of the latter 
had conducted themselves since their emancipation. The law- 
abiding citizens, therefore, looked with trepidation upon the prep- 
arations of the colored folk for this jubilee, and Marshal Gray 
took every precaution for the prevention of an outbreak. The 
day came and one of the most enormous civic parades ever wit- 
nessed in the United States took place. Fully ninety per cent, 
of all the negroes in Baltimore and the surrounding country took 
part, either in the parade itself or as applauding spectators. 
It is estimated that not less than 30,000 negroes were in line. 
The parade marched past a certain point from before noon till 
well into the night before the last platoon had gone by. The 
populace of both races were apparently willing to fight and a 
general collision seemed imminent all day, but the police were 
everywhere, with their eyes on every man who seemed belliger- 
ently inclined. The moral influence of the force seemed to sub- 
due the would-be rioters, and though a few unimportant brawls 
took place, the jubilee passed off without serious trouble any- 
where in the city. Marshal Gray received flattering commenda- 
tions from the newspapers and from citizens for the admirable 
manner in which the peace of the city was preserved during the 
critical period. 

After the Emancipation Jubilee a military spirit seemed sud- 
denly to seize the negro population of Baltimore. Dozens of 
military companies were formed, which drilled every evening in 
the streets, much to the annoyance of quiet people. After the 
war an immense number of old-fashioned muskets were stored in 
the city by the United States Government. Of the old army 
muskets alone there were more than 12,000 stand. By some 
means these arms all fell into the hands of the negroes and they 
used them for their military companies. These organizations 
banded into regiments and numbered themselves the First, 
Second, Third, etc., Maryland Colored Regiments, although 
they were never admitted to the National Guard, nor recognized 



OUR POLICE. 115 

"by the State military authorities. The South being at that time 
in a state of reconstruction the negroes were suffered to commit 
many offenses against the public peace which would never have 
he en attempted or permitted on the part of the whites. Before 
long the negro regiments began the practice of taking full pos- 
session of every street they entered. They would march with 
fixed bayonets through the principal streets and clear everything 
Tbefore them from curb to curb. Wagons, carriages, and horse- 
cars had to be turned back before them or else they were driven 
back under bayonet charge. One evening in May, 1871, the 
colored troops came down Baltimore street with fixed bayonets 
as usual, turning people and vehicles into side streets, when three 
young men who were talking together on the curb refused to 
move on and clear the way for the procession. A charge was 
made upon them and they were forced to flee around the nearest 
corner. As they went several of the negroes fired a volley at 
them, and one of the young men, a son of a well-known German 
citizen, fell dead. He was shot through the heart. It turned 
out that he was a Republican in politics and had been a great 
friend of the negroes. They alleged that he threw a stone into 
the ranks of the procession, but this was positively denied by 
•every bystander. The funeral of the young German was the 
occasion of a large popular demonstration. Public indignation, 
long since aroused by the offensiveness of the colored military 
organizations, found voice in a general demand for their imme- 
diate suppression. As the negroes were in a certain sense under 
Federal protection, this was a difficult matter to accomplish. 
The Police Board, however, made an order forbidding public 
parades through the streets by any military organization not con- 
nected with the National Guard or National Government. When 
this order was read in the meeting places of the colored compa- 
nies it was received with hoots and jeers of derision. The night 
that the order was issued, learning that the negroes were about to 
parade as usual, Marshal Gray sent to the headquarters of the 
"Lincoln Guard," the " crack" company of the city, and warned 
them not to parade. Captain Delanty was laughed at when he 
delivered the order, and his voice drowned by the howls of the 



116 OUR POLICE. 

negroes. He then stood outside of the building with his police- 
men. The negroes formed in the street, but at the first step 
they took after the captain gave the order to march, the police 
rushed up and arrested a large number of them. The others 
ran back into the building. The police sent those they had cap- 
tured to the station house. They then entered the building and 
after a short struggle captured the arms of the remainder. Their 
muskets gone and their leaders in jail, the militiamen became 
disheartened and broke up their company. On learning the fate 
of their principal company, a number of other organizations sur- 
rendered their arms, and in the course of a few months practi- 
cally all the muskets formerly used by the negro troops had been 
captured by the police. The arms were afterward sent to Fort 
Mcllenry, as they were the property of the United States. 

In the great labor riots of 1877, when from Friday morning 
until Sunday afternoon the mob of 12,000 or 15,000 men sur- 
rounded the Camden Station, Marshal Gray and 300 police pro- 
tected over a mile of railroad property from the fury of the 
rioters, and finally by a clever and gallant cowp arrested eighty- 
one of the ringleaders and scattered the mob just as it was on 
the eve of a lurious attack upon the Camden Station and ita 
guardians. 



OUR POLICE. 1VS 



CRAP TUB VI. 

The Present Police Commissioners. 

how the board is now constituted. — its duties and re- 
sponsibilities. — how the commissioners care for the 
members of the force. — sketch of president edson m. 
schryver. — treasurer alfred j. carr's duties and 
achievements as commissioner. — incidents in his career. 
— commissioner john quincy adams robson's life and 
his services to the state of maryland. — a sketch of 
secretary george savage. 

The present Police Board consists of Mr. Edson Marion 
Schryver, Alfred J. Carr, Esq., and Mr. John Quincy Adams 
Robson. Their powers are perhaps greater than are possessed 
by any other public officers in the city of Baltimore, exercising, 
as they do, an almost undisputed sway over nearly 800 men, 
whose sworn duty it is to protect the property and rights of the 
citizens. Not alone is the power vested in their office to arrest 
evil doers, to preserve the morality of the city by a proper 
enforcement of State and municipal laws, and to keep the force 

in a high state of efficiency, but the supervision of all elec- 
tions is conducted by the board. The balloting for city, county, 
State, and national officers is done under their watch, lest an 
unfair election occur. They exercise the functions of committing 
magistrates, having the power to hold for an offence or to 
discharge from custody any person whom they consider them- 
selves justified in thus imprisoning or releasing. Their decisions 
in all police matters, particularly governing the force of which 
they are the head, are final, no city officer being permitted to 

intervene with his authority between them and their subordinates. 
Their qualifications for office are somewhat peculiar, as stated 
by statute. To quote from the definition of their powers and 
duties as announced in the State laws, they must be " three 



118 OUR POLICE. 

sober and discreet persons, who shall have been residents of the 
city of Baltimore for five consecutive years next preceding the 
day of their election." A bond is given by each of them, for 
§10,000 for the faithful discharge of their duties, and the State 
Legislature which elected them, has the privilege of removing 
them for cause. In case the Legislature is not in session the 
Governor may exercise his prerogative. 

It is this almost unqualified power which when exercised by 
men of trained intelligence, as is the case at present, makes the 
department which they govern so potent for good. They are 
responsible for all their actions. The composition of the Board, 
an uneven number with voting power makes the tie ballot, 
which has worked such harm in one city at least (New York) 
impossible. The Board exercises a sort of paternal influence 
over the force of men under them. It is this interest which 
has made the police of Baltimore the finest body of men for 
such service in the country. Visitors to this city have frequently 
and justly remarked that courtesy, sobriety and courage are 
the three attributes of the Baltimore policeman, In each of 
these appears the hand of the Police Board. Men are required 
to answer all questions put to them by civilians with civility, 
and should there be a lapse in this regulation-politeness the 
offender is severely punished. Intoxication is a comparatively 
unknown vice among the members of the force. No man 
from the Marshal to the latest appointed patrolman is per- 
mitted to drink malt or distilled liquors while on duty. If 
this rule is disregarded the punishment is not a reprimand, 
but prompt dismissal with an unfailing closing of all hope of 
re-instatement. The men are trained in bravery because of 
their daring gymnastic exercises, the introduction of which 
into the discipline of the force is due to the far-seeing intelli- 
gence of the present Commissioners' immediate predecessors. 
These exercises give a premium to agility, to comparative fear- 
lessness, to a perfect development of all the muscles, so that 
in case an offender against the laws resists arrest, clubbing is 
rarely resorted to, but the refractory prisoner is overcome by 
forces that are decided saviors to broken heads and bruised 



OUR POLICE. 119 

"bodies — strong arms and a determined will. When a prisoner 
is clubbed in this city, it is only in case of an attack upon 
the life of the officer ; unless the policeman can show this 
in extenuation for a battered prisoner it is likely to go hard 
with him before the Police Commissioners. The Board has so 
forced upon its department an observance of this restriction 
to clubbing that the districts pride themselves upon their 
record of not having an officer tried for beating, for various 
long and honorable periods. 

The developments which have finally brought the force to its 
present excellent condition of efficiency, have taken place under 
all of the various Police Boards since 1867, but it is proper to 
state that the greatest advancement has been made within the 
last ten years, and particularly within the last five. Indeed, 
more improvements have been instituted within the last half 
decade than during the whole of the previous fifteen years since 
the present system of police control was inaugurated. Reform 
always gathers momentum as it proceeds. The fortuitous circum- 
stances which has made this progress possible, however, has been 
the almost unbroken harmony which has ever characterized the 
deliberations of the Commissioners of Police. Petty squabbles 
have been unknown within the organization of the Board and 
jealousies and political rivalries, if they have existed, have been 
put away in face of the one great object of ever increasing the 
efficiency of the department. Although conservatism is still 
recognized as a virtue by the present Police Commissioners, they 
have not hesitated to entertain the most radical projects in the 
direction of improvement or to contemplate reasonably the most 
serious changes of method proposed for a more perfect accom- 
plishment of ends desired. They have always courted suggestions 
from citizens and never fail to adopt those that seem to be of 
utility. 

The Board's offices are in the lower part of the Municipal 
Building, an edifice of which this city is justly proud. There 
are two large apartments, one the trial-room, where the Com- 
missioners transact most of their official business, the other a con- 
sultation-room, where executive sessions and important conferences 



120 OUR POLICE. 

with members of the force are held. The Secretary's offices 
adjoin the trial-room, and there is where the routine business 
of the Commission is transacted. All the offices of the heads 
of the police department adjoin each other, and thus a system- 
atic arrangement is maintained by means of which there can 
occur no straying of messages or orders nor loss of time. While 
in most cities on this continent the governing power, the Com- 
mission, seems intangible and somewhat cloudy to the patrolman, 
here it is clear and as well defined as it is possible under hu- 
man provisions to have it. The Board meets every morning in 
the year, except Sundays. The members of the Commission are 
always on hand between certain hours in the forenoon, to listen 
to complaints, petitions and all matters affecting the welfare of 
the force. The captains of the various districts appear to pre- 
sent their reports every morning, and so if the Commissioners 
desire to communicate any matter to them it is done without the 
usual delay of telephoning special orders and similar formal and 
useless procedure. While the Board is not permitted without 
Legislative authorization to increase the number of men on the 
force, it is empowered to create additional sergeants, and so to 
reward good work with advancement. It has the power also 
to fill all vacancies in the active force, though by a wise provi- 
sion of the State law all appointments to the higher positions 
must be made from within the department. Marshal Frey's 
appointment to the force was as Captain, and Deputy-Marshal 
Lannan attained his office by a gradual and just advancement 
from the position of patrolman. In instances where certain 
officers have distinguished themselves in some important crime 
for the punishment of which a reward has been offered, the 
Commissioners may at their discretion award the prize to the 
deserving person or may present him with extra pay, taken 
from the funds of the department, but all rewards must be first 
paid to the Board. In case at any time the Board may deem 
it expedient to add to the number of police districts in the 
city, it is authorized to do so and to distribute the force in such a 
way as will best protect the citizens. Not alone does this power 
of controlling the peace officers embrace the police force, but the 




EDSON MARION SCHRYVER, 
President of the Board of Police Commissioners. 



OUR POLICE. 123 

commission may in case of need call upon the sheriff for a posse 
comitatus and control its movements, and in event of its not 
proving of sufficient strength, summon the militia to arms and 
command its manoeuvres. A failure on the part of the Sheriff, 
a member of his posse, a commandant of the troops or any person 
called upon by the Commissioners to help preserve the peace, the 
statutes declare to be a misdemeanor. The Board may also 
enroll extra policemen under pay in case of great emergency, as 
in the riots of 1877. 

The present Board of Police Commissioners is organized as fol- 
lows: Mr. Edson M. Schryver, President; Alfred J. Carr, Esq., 
Treasurer, and Mr. John Q. A. Bobson ; the Secretary to the 
Board is Mr. George Savage. President Schryver is a tall, fine- 
looking man, whose early training as a soldier shows in his erect 
carriage and his promptness to confront any difficult question of 
organization and discipline with determination leading to its quick 
solution. To this clear power of analysis, President Schryver 
adds the judgment of a business man who has been absolutely the 
builder of his own fortunes. His coolness in any animated dis- 
cussion never fails to preserve the proper equipoise and bring 
about an agreement that is made additionally forceful by his sug- 
gestions. It was on January 26, 1843, that President Schryver 
was born, in Circleville, Pickaway county, Ohio. His rudimen- 
tary education was obtained in the public schools of his native town, 
and he made while a boy friendships which have continued un- 
broken to the present. In September, 1861, he was entered as a 
student in Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, but the war feeling- 
was growing at that time with such intensity as to embrace even 
the youngest in the divided sections of the country. Young Schry- 
ver could not resist the attractions of the field and bivouac. His 
parents pleaded with him not to abandon his fair prospects at 
the University, but uselessly. He took the decisive step which 
made a soldier of him and introduced him as an actor in the 
stirring scenes of which the civil war was composed. He enlisted 
in the 114th Ohio regiment (volunteers) and was ordered directly 
to the front. The route of the troops was down the Ohio river 
to the Mississippi river and thence to Memphis. Sherman was 



124 OUR POLICE. 

organizing his army for an attack upon Vicksburg, and it was 
in this historical campaign that the young recruit saw his first 
fighting. On December 1, 1862, the Northern troops embarked 
on their journey to Yicksburg. Mr. Schryver's regiment did 
not proceed directly upon the fated city. It went with Sher- 
man's command up the Yazoo river and began its operations 
in the Walnut hills where for a time the fighting was hot, 
every advantage gained by either side being bitterly contested. 
This series of skirmishes lasted until December 26, when the 
Union forces retreated, and re-embarking on the Yazoo river 
sailed to its junction with the Mississippi. Thence they went 
to the White river, into Arkansas, and up the Arkansas river 
to Arkansas Post, a military station not far from Little Rock. 
There the Northern soldiers met 8,000 Confederates under 
General Churchill, and after a spirited attack of forty-eight 
hours captured the post. Almost immdiately after this victory 
the Northern soldiers were attacked by the fevers which made 
the region about Arkansas Post practically uninhabitable. Mr. 
Schryver was stricken with the disease, but with indomitable 
determination fought it and so avoided being sent to the army 
hospital, which at that time owing to insufficient attendance, was 
even more fatal than the field. The cry was still " On to Yicks- 
burg," and thence the survivors of the White river campaign 
were hurried. It was about this time that Grant took command. 
Mr. Schryver was present during the memorable siege and con- 
ducted himself with distinction. Several times he had won pro- 
motion by his gallantry, but probably owing to his political faith, 
he being a Union Democrat, the Government neglected him. But 
finally, in June 1865, his merits were so conspicuous that the 
Secretary of War commissioned him first lieutenant and as- 
signed him to the post of assistant commissary of musters 
(muster officer). While serving in this capacity Mr. Schryver 
mustered out 6,000 men. He continued to act until June 16, 
1866, when lie received his discharge from the service. 

The young lieutenant went to his native town bearing with him 
the honors that come to a soldier who has done his duty on all oc- 
casions. A short time after his return, on April 13, 1868, Mr. 



OUR POLICE. 125 

Schryver married Miss Louisa Burns. The result of this union 
was eight children, six of whom are still living — one son and five 
daughters. While at Circleville, Mr. Schryver became the confi- 
dential clerk of Morris Steel ey & Co., then an important milling 
and distilling firm of that city. He soon was advanced to a part- 
nership and volunteered to take charge of the interests of his 
house in this city. Large amounts of money had been paid in 
commissions here, and Mr. Schryver rightly thought that not alone 
could these be saved but the volume of the business could be 
largely increased by a resident partner. So the branch was 
established and soon became nearly as important as the home 
house. But the affairs of the firm did not continue as smoothly 
in Circleville as they did in Baltimore, and in April, 1873, 
Morris Steeley & Co. failed. This did not affect the branch 
in this city. Mr. Schryver succeeded in winding up the affairs 
here without any loss. A month after the failure the young 
soldier-merchant formed a copartnership with Henry Wagner, of 
this city, and the firm was known as Wagner & Schryver, doing 
business in the grain and general produce trade. This firm 
continued until February, 1876, when Mr. Wagner died. On 
April 1, 1876, Mr. Schryver joined his business interests with 
those of J. G. Harryman, and did business under the firm name 
of Harryman & Schryver. This copartnership continued its 
operations until 1882, when Mr. Schryver selected his book- 
keeper, Mr. M. B. Scholl, as a business associate, and did busi- 
ness as the firm continues to do at present, in their offices in the 
Chamber of Commerce Building. The dealings of Schryver & 
Scholl are almost entirely in grain. Mr. Schryver has been a 
member of the Corn and Flour Exchange since 1872. He be- 
came a Director in 1879, and served on the Board for eight years. 
He was then elected a member of the Executive Committee and 
served for two years, adding continually to the power of the 
Exchange. He was then elected second Vice-President and 
served two years in that office, being subsequently advanced to 
first Vice-President. Two more years were spent in this office. 
and in May, 1885, the President resigned and Mr. Schryver 
succeeded him. In January, 1886, he was elected President at 



126 OUR POLICE. 

the head of the regular ticket. He served one year and then 
retired in order to assume the duties of the position of Police 
Commissioner which now brings him so much credit. In his annual 
report as President of the Corn and Flour Exchange, Mr. Schry- 
ver made a telling address which was widely commented upon. 
The folio wins; will give an idea of its character : 

" There are questions also connected with the situation affecting the values 
and the marketing of our surplus products, as we find it at present, which 
demand and should receive the careful and most profound consideration of the 
political economist and statesman. However much we, as individuals of 
divergent views on important questions, may differ regarding the policy of the 
general Government, there is no doubt that such wise enactments by our 
National Legislature should be passed and international treaties agreed upon 
and perfected as will tend to encourage reciprocal trade between our own 
•country and the countries of the world with which we have heretofore had, 
and should now have, very intimate business interchanges. We cannot hope 
to encourage buyers from other lands for our products in these times of keen 
competition unless our policy toward those buyers is such as to render our 
business relations with them reciprocal ; and the fact that the countries of the 
world which are the importers of food products are seeking and finding their 
supplies from other sources than America, is the best evidence that something 
is needed to remedy the trouble and restore to us the prestige in the exporta- 
tion of food supplies which we once enjoyed. Let the remedy be sought and 
applied immediately." 

It was on February 19, 1886, that Mr. Schryver was elected 
to be Police Commissioner by the Legislature to succeed Mr. 
George Colton. The contest for the position was a warm one, 
but Mr. Schryver had too many friends to allow his defeat, and 
he won by a flattering majority. On March 15 he began his 
duties as Commissioner and was at once elected President by his 
colleagues. 

Alfred J. Carr, Esq., is the Treasurer of the Board and is 
most active in the discharge of the duties of the Commission. 
He is young yet, but in his life he has crowded the experi- 
ence of a man of the world, the erudition of a lawyer, the 
thoroughness of a scholar and the determination to gain the 
objects of his efforts of a man of action. This last Mr. Carr 
especially is. Notwithstanding that he is a lawyer of wide 
reputation, he yet devotes sufficient of his time to the interests 
of the Police Board to make him regarded among the force as 




ALFRED J. CAER, Esq., 
Treasurer of the Board of Police Commissioners. 



OUR POLICE. 129 

a power in the deliberations of the Board. Some of this devo- 
tion to his duties he inherits from his father, ex-Commis- 
sioner of Police, now Judge James E. Carr. But the most of 
his energy, his far-sightedness and his uprightness, are his own, 
and he makes them observable in whatever action he takes. 
His service as Police Commissioner means a vast deal of sacri- 
fice on his part. But he regards serving the public as a man's 
highest duty, and though the honor of filling his present position 
was, after a fashion, thrust upon him, so devoted is he that he 
has willingly neglected his profession to a considerable extent. 
Mr. Carr's reforms in the Police Board have startled the shrewd- 
est politicians in Baltimore. He has urged and obtained the 
adoption of at least two radical changes which have done so 
much to make the Baltimore police the finest in the country. 
He has made the men on the force regard him with an affection 
that is not all due to the love with which they remember his 
father. But most of all, Mr. Carr entered upon the duties of his 
office with the high aim of never allowing any part of the police 
organization to prostitute its powers without a formal as well as 
energetic protest from him, and to assure to the public the privi- 
lege of hearing of every transaction of the Board through the 
medium of the press, first hand ; for Mr. Carr believes that a 
public officer is a public servant and his every action should be 
made known. 

As Treasurer of the Board he has great power, but owing 
to his conservativeness and legal training there is every assur- 
ance that he will exercise it with rare judgment in the future 
as in the past. Mr. Carr's duties in this office as defined by 
State laws are as follows : 

" The Treasurer of the Board of Police Commissioners before 
entering upon the duties of his office shall, in addition to the 
bond given as Commissioner, enter into bond in the State of 
Maryland, as hereinbefore directed, with one or more sureties in 
the penalty of $10,000, conditioned for the faithful discharge of 
the duties imposed upon him as Treasurer, and for the faithful 
application and payment over, pursuant to the order and direc- 
tion of the Board, of all moneys which may come into his hands 



130 OUR POLICE. 

as such Treasurer, and shall, every six months, on the first of 
January and July in each and every year, during his continu- 
ance in office, render to his associates in said Board a true and 
faithful account of the receipts and disbursements of all moneys 
received and disbursed by him, by order of the said Board, with 
the vouchers thereof during said period, vrhich account shall be 
verified by the affidavit of the said Treasurer ; and the said Board 
shall thereupon examine said account, and if they find the same 
to be correct, they shall certify said account, and forward the 
same to the Governor of the State, to be filed in the office of the 
Secretary of State. The said Board shall retain a copy thereof, 
with the certificate attached, to be filed among the papers of their 
office." 

Mr. Carr is in every sense of the word a Baltimorean ; born, 
brought up and educated amid the associations of this city, 
he is equipped with a knowledge of what his townsmen desire 
and how to satisfy that desire. The Commissioner made his en- 
trance into the cares of his life on October 7, 1851. He passed 
a rather delicate childhood, but his fondness for active life grew 
upon him as he increased in years so that when he was old enough 
to enter school he was agile as any of his mates. His first stu- 
dent's experiences away from home were in private and public 
schools in this city, after which he was sent by his parents to 
St. Timothy's Hall, near Catonville. Subsequently he entered 
the Virginia Military Institute, the historic academy at Lex- 
ington, Virginia, and then settled upon the profession of law as 
the calling of his life. When he left the military school, he be- 
came a student in the office of Bernard Carter, Esq., of this city, 
where he began earnest study. He also attended the law depart- 
ment of the University of Maryland, where, however, he remained 
but one year, the routine of instruction proving too slow for him. 
After three years' hard work in Mr. Carter's office, the young 
student's preceptor made motion to have him admitted to the bar, 
and after an examination at which Mr. Carr distinguished himself 
he was admitted to practice on February T, 1872. 

It was in November of this year (1872) that Mr. Carr made 
up his mind to see a good part of his native country, so he went 



OUR POLICE. 131 

to New Orleans and made a short visit in that picturesque city. 
Thence he traveled to Galveston and passed three weeks, going 
subsquently to Bryan and Heme. He crossed the country from 
the latter town to Bel ton, arriving on January 1, 1873. He 
remained at Belton for some time, doing considerable law busi- 
ness. His success in his profession while in this town, was such 
that at the solicitation of the Hon. X. B. Saunders, he entered 
partnership with him. Mr. Saunders was one of the most promi- 
nent lawyers of the State, and it was upon his motion that Mr. 
Carr was admitted by Judge J. P. Austerhaut to practice in 
Texas. While a member of Mr. Saunders' firm, Mr. Carr prac- 
ticed in Bell, Hamilton and Comanche counties and frequently 
went out on a circuit, at one time going as far south as Live Oak 
county. In October, 1873, Mr. Carr retired from partnership 
with Mr. Saunders, having acquired a considerable amount of 
money and being anxious to continue his trip towards the North 
and home. So he journeyed for pleasure, taking things as they 
came after the most comfortable fashion, through the north of Texas, 
the Indian Territory and to St. Louis which he reached in Decem- 
ber, 1873. From St. Louis he came straight back to Baltimore 
and began the practice of his profession in his native city. 

The year 1875 found Mr. Carr a warm supporter of the 
candidacy of William T. Hamilton for governor. The political 
contest for this nomination was a bitter one, and Mr. Carr's friend 
failed to secure the naming by the convention, but Mr. Carr 
became particularly prominent as the counsel for the contesting 
delegates from several wards in this city, achieving a reputation as 
a shrewd pleader, that went through the State. Four years later 
he again became the enthusiastic supporter of Mr. Hamilton. 
So earnest were his efforts, as were those of his friends, that 
Mr. Hamilton's nomination was secured and he gained the 
governorship by a magnificent majority. During this adminis- 
tration-Mr. Carr remained the staunchest supporter and one 
of the most trusted advisers Governor Hamilton had about 
him. Notwithstanding his political activity, Mr. Carr did not 
neglect his law practice and he continued his professional career 
with remarkable success. Bednnino; in 1880 and continuing 



132 OUR POLICE. 

since then, Mr. Carr made a study of theatrical copyright law, 
winning what appeared to be the most hopeless suits in this 
"branch of practice. It was as a theatrical copyright lawyer that 
Mr. Carr has gained his enviable reputation which extends 
throughout the Atlantic States and Missouri and Washington. 
Among the best known of the suits he has been engaged in were 
the contests over the copyright of " Iolanthe," "Merry War," 
"Mikado," "Colleen Bawn," "Fun on the Bristol," and the 
"Black Crook." In 1883 Mr. Carr was entered as a candidate 
for a nomination to a seat in the First Branch of the City Coun- 
cil from the Nineteenth Ward, but owing to the treachery of some 
avowed friends he was not nominated. This experience was 
partly due, no doubt, to the fact that Mr. Carr always remained 
a free-lance in politics, scoring abuses wherever he saw them and 
so, while earning the esteem of all good citizens, he aroused the 
opposition of the controlling powers. From this brief entry into 
the arena politics until he was appointed Police Commissioner, 
Mr. Carr has continued his practice as a lawyer. 

In 1884, during the Cleveland-Blaine campaign, Mr. Carr 
was, as he now is, a member of the Crescent Club of this city. 
The club rooms at that time were at West Baltimore near Green 
street, and the organization numbered about 200 members. 
When the time neared for the Chicago convention a meeting was 
called and plans were discussed for sending its representatives. 
Mr. Carr arose during the discussion and supported the plan 
of having a special palace car for the delegation. The club 
men went to the convention in a coach covered with decorations 
bearing the words "Crescent Club of Baltimore," and created 
considerable sensation in the towns and cities through which it 
passed. This political pilgrimage gave the Crescent Club a 
national reputation. The work of the organization during the 
presidential campaign was carried on at its own expense, the 
management being in the hands of a committee of which Mr. 
Carr was chairman. It held great mass meetings at the halls 
and theatres in this city. One at Concordia hall was attended 
by 15,000 persons; overflow meetings being held on the outside 
of the building. Among the speakers at this meetino- was 



OUR POLICE. 133 

Thomas F. Bayard, Congressman Perry Belmont of New York 
and Mr. Walker of West Virginia. During this time Mr. 
Carr was " stumping" the city and the adjacent counties in be- 
half of Cleveland. At the inauguration of the President the 
Crescent Club sent a delegation of 700 men to Washington, and 
made the finest show of any civic organization in the great parade. 
By this time the old quarters of the association had become too 
small for it, so great was its prosperity, and at one of its meetings 
Mr. Carr offered a resolution which empowered a committee to 
purchase suitable property for a club-house. Mr. Carr was 
appointed chairman of this committee and took a leading part in 
the purchase of the Clabaugh property at the southwest corner of 
Paca and Fayette streets. A stock company was formed and 
paper was issued to the amount of about $45,000 ; the house was 
practically rebuilt, and the building as it now stands represents 
an outlay of nearly $96,000. 

On June 5, 1886, Governor Henry Lloyd appointed Mr. Can- 
to be a Police Commissioner of this city. The office was obtained 
without any effort on Mr. Carr's part, and was given him because 
of the efforts of his friends who had recommended him to the 
Governor. Nearly four hundred letters had also been sent to 
Mr. Lloyd from all classes of Democrats and Republicans in this 
city, urging him to choose Mr. Carr for the position. No sooner 
had Mr. Carr taken his seat in the board than he began to suggest 
and carry through exceedingly important reforms. The first of 
these and the most important, because it affected every member 
of the police force, was the change Mr. Carr secured in the patrol 
service. He found a system based upon that which is now used 
in New York. An officer was expected to serve, six hours, have 
six hours rest, then the same length of duty and rest again. He 
thoroughly investigated the matter and concluded that the system 
meant almost certain rapid death for the men and a disorganization 
of the force. The matter had been brought to the attention of 
the Legislature, and there much indignation was exhibited because 
of the evils of the service. An investigation was proposed : 
but no sooner had Mr. Carr assumed his duties than he began 
making a thorough study of all the police systems in this country. 



134 OUR POLICE. 

through correspondence and departmental reports. The result of 
his investigation was a new plan of patrolling service, which was 
adopted on September 2. 1 S S '3 . by a vote of two to one. Mr. Robson 
voting with Mr. Can*. The following is the official record : 

"Ordered, That the following shall be the working of the force 
on and after September 15, 1886 : The force shall be divided 
into divisions. A, B. and C. Division A shall go on duty at 8 
A. M. and remain until 7 P. M., with one and a half hours 
allowed for dinner, between 12 M. and 3 P. M. ; Division B 
shall go on duty at 7 P. M. and remain until 4 A. M. : Division 
C shall go on dutv at 4 A. M. and remain till 8 A. M., and at 
12 M. and remain till 3 P. M. This division shall be divided 
into four sections, and each section shall do one week's reserve 
duty at the station, from 7 P. M. until 4 A. M. Round sergeants 
(day^i shall be on duty from 8 A. M. to 7 P. M. ; night, 7 P. M. 
to 4 A. M. Lieutenants, turnkeys, and regular reserve men 
shall relieve each other at 7 A. M. and 7 P. M. The Baltimore 
street and railroad depot reserve shall go on duty at 8 A. M. 
and off at 7 P. M., with one and a half hours for dinner."' 

This system is used at present and is giving entire satisfaction 
both to the community and the members of the force. 

It was Mr. Carr who was chiefly instrumental in securing the 
introduction of the police helmet now worn in this city ; he had 
always regarded it as the only proper hat to be worn by uniformed 
policemen, and he determined to have it introduced here. Before 
this the uniform hat in winter resembled a Derby ; in summer it 
was of brown straw, with high crown and broad brim. On 
August 6, 1886, at a meeting of the board. Mr. Carr offered the 
following, which was adopted by a vote of two to one. Mr. Robson 
balloting in the negative : 

Ordered: That the police helmet (black in winter and pearl 
for summer wear) be, and is hereby adopted for the use of the 
police force, and that each officer have a rubber cover with their 
respective number or letters painted on the same, and that the 
marshals, captains, and lieutenants shall wear caps. Station 
house clerks while on duty are to wear such caps with the word 
" clerk " thereon. 






OUR POLICE. 135 

Thus another reform was introduced, not a great one it is true, 
but one which added to the appearance of the men. The hygienic 
effect was excellent also, giving the policemen's heads a chance 
to secure proper ventilation. While these two reforms are due 
to Mr. Carr's determination to add to the efficiency of the force 
in every way, they by no means represent the vast amount of 
other work he has undertaken to ameliorate the condition of the 
policeman. He interests himself in their surroundings, particu- 
larly in the stations, and endeavors to make the hours when they 
are on reserve as pleasurable as possible. 

Another innovation in which Mr. Carr was chief mover was 
the admittance of representatives of the press to the meetings of 
the board upon all occasions. Previous to his appointment these 
meetings had been for the most part closed, and if the public 
desired to obtain some idea of what the board was doing it was 
obliged to get the information second hand. Mr. Carr properly 
thought that the newspapers as the mouth piece of public opinion 
should be able to base that opinion upon trustworthy information 
and so moved that they be admitted. Mr. Carr, as treasurer of 
the Commission, has charge of the general and special funds. 
These funds include the moneys which are paid into the depart- 
ment as appropriations by the city and as fines for evil doings of 
all sorts. 

Commissioner Carr is married, having wedded Miss Young, 
daughter of Alexander Young, on October 17, 1876. He has 
one child, Alexander, who was born on October 27, 1879. He 
is a prominent Free Mason, and is a leader in social circles. 

The history of the special fund over which Mr. Carr has 
control is briefly as follows : Previously to the organization of the 
Metropolitan Police force the constables were paid so much for 
each arrest made and each prisoner "jailed " after commitment. 
The magistrate was paid by warrants and docket fees. "When 
the new organization was perfected the fees going to the constables 
were assigned to the board, and gradually accumulated. The 
treasurers of the various commissions made no effort to dispose of 
this money save by putting it in the banks and allowing it to add 
interest to itself. The police board determined to make this 






136 OUR POLICE. 

accumulation of money of some use to the members of the force. 
So it was authorized by the Legislature to use it for aiding 
policemen temporarily when they became physically incapable of 
attending to their duties or for pensioning them when their ail- 
ments were such as to make continuous service impossible. 
Notwithstanding this outlay the fund continued to increase, and 
as the city was in need of more and improved police stations the 
board applied to the Legislature for authority to use this money 
in building them. This authorization was obtained in IS 74. 
The Legislature then authorized the appointment of as many 
justices of the peace at large as there were stations in the 
citv, and directed the Governor to assign them to preside at their 
respective posts with salaries of 82.100 a year each. Thus the 
payment of police justices by the fee system was abolished and 
the justices' former remuneration was diverted into the police 
special fund. In 1885 the commissioners adopted the patrol 
wagon system and made contracts for its establishment, proposing 
to pav for it out of this money. But the board discovered that 
it had no authority to thus dispose of the fund, and it was obliged 
to apply to the Legislature of 1886 for power to establish the 
svstem. In passing an Act for this purpose, the Legislature also 
revised the pension system, requiring its disbursements to be 
also paid from the fund. By this measure any member of the 
force after having been a policeman for sixteen successive years 
and declared by the board to be physically disqualified, could be 
retired on a pension equal to one-third of his annual pay then 
being received. From the fund was purchased the land and the 
building erected for the Western Police Station in Pine street ; 
the house of the Northwestern squad in Pennsylvania avenue ; 
the Northeastern station in Chew street ; the Southwestern 
station at Pratt and Calhoun streets ; the Central in North street. 
Extensive alterations were made in the Southern station in Sharp 
street and the Eastern station was completely remodeled, stables 
and patrol wagon house being added. The money for all these 
purchases and the maintenance of the patrol system was de- 
frayed from this fund, together with the rental of a patrol 
house for the Central squad and the payment of pensions 



OUR POLICE. 137 

granted to officers. In the use of this money, which is directly 
derived from the punishment of the violators of the law, the 
commissioners have avoided calling upon the taxpayers for means 
to accomplish the improvements made. Of course the department 
has found itself obliged to get into debt, but at the present time 
(September, 1887) it does not owe a dollar. The patrol system 
it is proposed to extend as rapidly as the fund permits to the 
remaining three districts, the Northeastern, the Northwestern, 
and the Southwestern. This will involve an expenditure of 
$43,000. The Western district has just been fitted with the 
patrol apparatus at a cost of $11,000, and the system is being 
operated there. 

Mr. John Quincy Adams Robson is the eldest member of the 
board, but he bears the years he has spent in the service of the 
city and State with a promise that he has still a long time left to 
devote to the interests of his fellow citizens. His pleasant smile 
is familiar to almost every policeman on the force, and he takes a 
personal interest in the men, for Mr. Robson was a policeman 
himself once, and he fully sympathizes with a patrolman's life, so 
full of vicissitudes and work. He believes that when a man 
becomes a public officer he should devote all his time, intelligence, 
and energy to his task, and Mr. Robson conscientiously does this. 
He is always on hand when the meeting of the commissioners is 
called, invariably makes new suggestions, results of his day's 
observation among the rank and file of his department, and when 
offenders are brought before him lightens the lash of justice with 
advice for the future. Mr. Robson is a fine looking gentleman, 
and converses with much grace on the most varied subjects. He 
is an astute politician, having deeply studied the great national 
questions of the day, and being absolutely familiar with the 
intricacies of local political controversy. He has much weight 
in State affairs, as is evidenced by his appointment to one of the 
most important positions in the city — that of Police Commissioner. 

It was on the charming Eastern shore, in the town of Easton, 
Talbot county, that Mr. Robson was born, on October 1, 1828. 
His native town has always been his favorite home besides Balti- 
more, and might have been still his abiding place had it not boon 



138 OUR POLICE. 

for that determined endeavor to " get ahead " which has marked 
Mr. Robson's career. His elementary education was secured in 
the public schools of his native town, and he obtained in them 
the reputation of being one of the hardest workers in the school. 
But after voung Robson had secured sufficient education to fit 
him for the struggle to come, he chose a trade instead of a pro- 
fession. He thought he would like to learn shoemaking, and his 
parents apprenticed him to his calling. The lad worked as hard 
at this as he did at school, passing the hours when he was not in 
the shop in company with such books as his limited means could 
purchase. Thomas Chilcutt, in whose shop the lad was employed, 
soon picked him out as an exceptionally bright boy, and gave 
him all the instruction he could, to perfect him in his trade. In 
1844, at the age of sixteen years, young* Robson came to Balti- 
more, and continued his apprenticeship in the store of W. C. 
McMullan, where he remained until he reached his majority. 
Then he went back home and worked at his trade until 1852, 
when he returned to this city. It was then that the real work 
began. Previous to this time his life had been spent in prepara- 
tion, but now he was ready with full equipment. He had no 
resources but his trade, but at that time good shoemakers were 
scarce and young Robson was a master of his trade. Thus he 
soon secured by working hard sufficient capital to start a shop of 
his own, and he began in his determined way to do all he could 
to make it a success. This beginning of his business life was 
in 1856. The store was in Baltimore street near Central avenue, 
and there Mr. Robson remained, struggling hard to do without 
the capital necessary to carry such a venture to success, until 
1860. Then he lost courage ; he abandoned trade, and having 
made the acquaintance of several men of influence, applied with 
their endorsement, to be appointed patrolman on the newly 
organized police force. He served through those stirring times 
at the beginning of the war and was one of that brave body of 
men who protected the lives of the Northern troops, in 1861, 
from the infuriated mob, and so earned the reputation of being 
the most courageous police in the country. But when General 
Dix took command of the soldiers in Baltimore, and the Police 




HON. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS ROBSON, 
Commissioner of Police. 



OUR POLICE. 141 

Commissioners and Marshal Kane were sent to Fort McHenry, 
thus disorganizing the force, Mr. Robson went back to his trade 
and served as a journeyman. 

It was during the years between 1860 and 18G6 that he secured 
his wide acquaintance with local politics. He lived in the first 
legislative district, and soon knew almost every man in it. He 
was the kind of man who showed the stability of his character 
to men he met, and so won their respect and esteem. He 
improved himself in business, increased his knowledge continually, 
and so won his friends to his support, that in 1866 he was elected 
by a considerable majority from the first district to the Maryland 
legislature, taking his seat in 1867. The representatives, of 
whom he was one, gave the State a new Constitution which 
enfranchised all the people and occasioned much public approval. 
While in this session Mr. Robson advocated the organization of 
the Baltimore City Court, and it was owing to his determination 
to secure such a tribunal that the Legislature established it. 
Judge T. Parkins Scott was elected its magistrate, and when Mr. 
Robson left the Legislature he was appointed (May, 1867) by 
Judge Scott one of its officers. In this position Mr. Robson 
remained fifteen years, and he was regarded as one of the most 
popular court officers in the city. After the death of Judge Scott, 
in '1872, Mr. George William Brown was elected in his place, and 
Mr. Robson remained in office till May, 1882. Mr. John F. 
Hunter, then sheriff, promptly appointed Mr. Robson to be deputy 
sheriff, and in that capacity he served one year. In 1883 he was 
again nominated and elected to the Legislature, where he ren- 
dered valuable service to the State in 1884. It was while he 
was at Annapolis during this session that he was appointed by 
Governor McLane to be police justice for the North-eastern Dis- 
trict, and in that capacity he served until 1886. General Herbert, 
then one of the Police Commissioners, died that year, and it was 
necessary to fill the vacancy immediately. But the Legislature 
seldom acts hurriedly in such matters. There were many candi- 
dates for the office, but they were all weighed carefully and many 
were found wanting. The Assembly finally elected Mr. Robson to 
fill the unexpired term of General Herbert on February 10. 188o\ 



142 OUR POLICE. 

He will serve until 1889. On March 15, 1886, Mr. Robson 
formally took his chair as a police commissioner and since then has 
performed his duties with untiring energy and unswerving effort 
to preserve the dignity of the office. 

Mr. Robson 's social relations are very pleasant. He was 
married on December 14, 1854, to Miss Ann E. Clark of St. 
Mary's County, and he has now three daughters to add to the 
pleasures of his home life. Mr. Robson is one of the governors of 
the Calumet Club ; member of the Democratic Association of the 
Sixth "Ward ; a member of the Royal Arcanum of the old Volun- 
teer Fi) e Department, and member of the State Democratic Cen- 
tral Committee. 

Although Mr. Robson has not been long a commissioner, he has 
participated in and advocated one great reform in the service. 
He voted in favor of the change from the six hour system of 
police patrol. Mr. Robson believes as firmly in the police force 
of this city as he does in himself. Under the management of the 
board of which he is a member, the city is protected in a way 
few other municipalities in the world are guarded. There are 
fewer burglaries here than in many other cities of half its size in 
the United States. Strangers may ask a policeman for directions 
to some point of interest without running the risk of being clubbed 
to death ; and the use of liquor is unknown to the members of the 
force during their hours of duty. 

A measure that the present Board has recently decided upon 
is one which permits the members of the force to use service 
stripes on their uniforms. On April 14, 1887, Marshal Frey 
called the Board's attention to the regulation of the New York 
Board of Police ordering the use of these stripes on the police- 
men's sleeves. He consulted with the Commissioners and the lat- 
ter ordered that a stripe of blue cloth with black edges be placed 
upon each policeman's sleeves for every five years he had served 
the city. The commissioned officers of the force were empowered 
to wear gold lace stripes. This regulation has, like the introduc- 
tion of the uniform helmet, added to the appearance of the men, 
and goes a great way towards making them anxious to obtain 
the honorable distinction of long service. 



# 



••■■ 




GEORGE SAVAGE, ESQ., 
Secretary to the Board of Police Commissioner 



OUR POLICE. 145 

The present Secretary of the Police Board is Mr. George Sav- 
age, a gentleman of much ability, cultivation and courtesy. He 
cares for the work of the Board, keeps its records, compiles its 
reports, guards and is responsible for all the valuables which find 
their way into the hands of the police, and acts as assistant to 
the Treasurer. Mr. Savage was born on May 10, 1845, at 
Laurel Grove, Henrico county, Virginia, one of the most pic- 
turesque spots of that beautiful country. His birthplace gave 
its name to the battle in the civil war known as the Battle of 
Savage's Station. His father was George Morton Savage, a 
country gentleman, and for seventeen years the Presiding Justice 
of Henrico County Court. Mr. Savage's mother was Miss Mary 
E. Reynolds, of Charleston, S. C. Until he was twelve years 
old he received instruction from governesses at his home, and he 
then went to academies in Virginia. In 1860 he entered as a 
student at Richmond College and soon became a leader among 
his college-mates. He remained in that institution until the 
breaking out of hostilities, and then entered the service of the 
Confederate States as a courier in the Quartermaster's Depart- 
ment. He subsequently served as a clerk in the office of the 
Treasurer of the Confederacy. Upon reaching his eighteenth 
year, although he was exempt from military service, he resigned 
his clerkship and joined the Otey Battery, a Richmond artillery 
company, and while carrying an important order on the field of 
the Battle of the Crater, at Petersburg, in 1864, he was severely 
wounded. When he recovered sufficiently from his injuries he 
returned to his company and fought with it until it surrendered 
at Appomatox Court House. 

Mr. Savage's application for membership in " The Society of 
the Army and Navy of the Confederate States in the State of 
Maryland" bears this endorsement : " I bear willing testimony 
to the faithful discharge of duty by George Savage. His 
soldierly bearing attracted the attention of his commanding 
officers and caused his appointment to a position at headquarters. 
and an honorable scar will bear witness to his bravery as long as 
he lives. — D. N. Walker, formerly captain of the Otey Battery, 
later commanding battalion." The sergeant (Alex. Grant, Jr.) 



146 OUR POLICE. 

of the detachment with which Mr. Savage served concurred in 
the above. 

Mr. Savage then entered journalism as .a profession, doing 
much creditable newspaper work in Richmond. In 1868 he 
removed to this city, where he became exceedingly well known 
as a reporter of criminal trials. He was connected with the 
Gazette and the Gterman Correspondent. In 1875 Mayor F. -C. 
Latrobe, entirely unexpectedly to Mr. Savage, appointed him 
his secretary, and he continued as such for six or more years. 

The following letter will show in what high esteem he was 
held by Mayor Latrobe : 

MAYOR'S OFFICE, CITY HALL. 

Baltimore, September 14, 1881. 
George Savage, Esq. 

My Dear Sir : — I have yours of August 23d, tendering your resignation 
as Secretary to the Mayor. In accepting this resignation I beg you will re- 
ceive my acknowledgments for the faithful and efficient manner in which you 
have performed all the duties of your office. You were ever at your post and 
neglected no interest connected, with your department. I must also thank you 
for your warm friendship manifested in so many ways for me personally. 
While regretting much to lose your services before the end of my administra- 
tion, I am glad that you have obtained the honorable position you now hold 
in the office of the Police Commissioners. 

Wishing you every success, and assuring you of my warm personal regard 
and friendship, I am, 

Very sincerely yours, 

FERDINAND C. LATROBE. 

In 1877 Mr. Savage was graduated from the Law School of the 
University of Maryland, after having been elected President of 
his class. Upon his leaving the University he practiced law 
for a time with John E. Semmes, a nephew of the famous com- 
mander of the Alabama, and in 1879 he entered into partnership 
with Archibald II. Taylor, his well-known firm now being Savage 
& Taylor. In August, 1881, a vacancy unexpectedly occurred 
in the secretaryship of the Police Board. Mr. Savage was then 
in Canada. Without his knowledge he was unanimously elected 
to fill the vacancy, and has served the city of Baltimore since 
then with a fidelity to his duties that has won him general 



INSET. 

Since the pages of this book were printed the legislature of 
1888 convened at Annapolis. Mr. Carr, the treasurer of the 
board, who had been appointed by Gov. Henry Lloyd to fill 
the seat of the late John Milroy, became a candidate for elec- 
tion by the legislature for the balance of that term. Hon. 
John Grill, Jr., was also a candidate for the office. On 
January 12, Mr. Gill was nominated in caucus and elected 
upon the following day. He was installed in office on the 
twenty-third of January, 1888, entering immediately upon his 
duties. In formally presenting him to the board Mr. Oarr 
paid a fine compliment to Mr. GilFs fitness for the position, 
and wished him "a long and useful life." 

Hon. John Gill, Jr., is the youngest member of the Board 
of Police Commissioners. He was elected treasurer on the 
twenty-third of January, 1888. He succeeds Alfred J. Carr, 
Esq., and is serving out the unexpired term of the late John 
Milroy, which ends in 1891. In selecting Mr. Gill for office the 
legislature of Maryland have elected a man of integrity to high 
official position. 

Mr. Gill was born in Baltimore in 1850. He is a son of the 
late Geo. M. Gill, so long and favorably known as one of the 
leading lawyers of Maryland. Although but thirty-eight years 
of age, and comparatively young for a public official, yet Mr. 
Gill is not young in ability and experience. He is by profes- 
sion a lawyer, He has been an active politician since 187.1. 
and few campaigns have passed in which he did not take an 
important and efficient part. He has been a member of both 
branches of the State legislature, and served upon important 
committees in both houses. He has held office in the munici- 
pal government of Baltimore, and brings to this new position 



OUR POLICE. 

an experienced judgment, a wide knowledge of men, a keen 
insight into public affairs, and an unstained reputation. 

Early in life Mr. Gill exhibited a marked fondness for intel- 
lectual pursuits, and entered upon his studies at school with a 
zest that promised well for his future usefulness. His early 
studies were pursued at St. Timothy's Hall, one of the famous 
schools of twenty-five years ago. Here he completed his pre- 
paratory studies during the last years of the war, and matricu- 
lated at Hampden-Sidney College in the summer of 1865. At 
college he became at once a thorough and diligent scholar. 
He was highly esteemed by his instructors, and popular with 
his class-mates and other college men. In the sports and 
intellectual rivalries of school days young Gill was always 
among the foremost, antl he there developed that talent for 
leadership which has since characterized his political and 
official life. He graduated in 1869, and entered almost imme- 
diately upon the studies of his profession in his father's office. 
After two years he was admitted to the bar, and started in 
business for himself in an office adjoining his father's. 

Mr. Gill's associations and talents were such as to lead him 
into politics. His connection with the legal fraternity, his 
wide acquaintance with the leading men of the city and his 
high social standing, placed him under most favorable circum- 
stances for political advancement. Friendly by nature, but 
reserved and reticent in habit, with cool judgment and almost 
unerring political insight, he very soon became an acknowl- 
edged power in local politics. He read widely, and formed 
his conclusions with the mature judgment of a scholar. He 
clung to his convictions with a tenacity that made his opinions 
respected, and marked him as a candidate for public life. In 
1873 he was chosen a member of the Maryland House of 
Delegates, and reelected in 1875. Three years later he was 
chairman of the Democratic executive committee, in which 
capacity he served until his appointment as examiner of titles 
by Mayor Latrobe in 1879. 

In 1882 Mr. Gill went to the State Senate as delegate from 
the second district of Baltimore, and was elected to the same 
office in 1884. In this bodv he served as chairman of the 



OUK POLICE. 

Committee on Ways and Means, and during the protracted ill- 
ness of the presiding officer was chosen President of the Senate, 
pro tern. For some years he had made a special study of 
parliamentary law, and upon the floor of the Senate had 
become a very dangerous opponent where any question of 
parliamentary tactics was involved. As President of the 
Senate he distinguished himself, and won the unqualified 
respect and approval of both sides of the house by the fairness 
and promptness of his rulings. In 1884 the Senate was almost 
equally divided between the two great political parties. In 
this juncture the Republicans sought by a coalition with Inde- 
pendents to elect Mr. Gill president of the Senate. He wisely 
refused to be placed in nomination by his political enemies 
and supported the Democratic candidate, Senator Henry Lloyd. 
By the resignation of Governor McLane, Senator Lloyd became 
governor of the state, an office which would, in all probability, 
have fallen to Mr. Gill if he could have deserted his friends 
and become a political renegade, as too many men have done 
to the danger of the State and the ruin of political reputation. 

Although Mr. Gill has exhibited great political activity, it 
has in no wise interfered with the duties of his profession, and 
he enjoys a lucrative practice in his office on St. Paul street. 
He -has that rare facility of talent which enables him easily 
and without friction to change from the duties of public office 
to those of his profession without detriment to either. He is 
essentially a worker, and when the public mill stops grinding 
the private wheel is turned on, and the workman is forever at 
his post. 

Mr. Gill is thoroughly sound and progressive in his views. 
and has little sympathy with what is known as machine politics. 
His views with reference to the police department may be 
summarized as follows : He believes that appointments should 
be made only upon the ground of fitness. He believes that 
policemen should protect the property of citizens, and should 
do the duties for which they are appointed. He believes thai 
promotions should be made for merit and strict attention ro 
duty, and for no other reason. These ideas, backed by Mr. 



OUR POLICE. 

Gill's characteristic energy and pluck, cannot fail to result in 
more efficient service throughout the entire department. 

Note. — On January 13, 1888, the legislature unanimously 
elected Hon. J. Q. A. Kobson, police commissioner, to serve 
for six additional years, commencing on March 15, 1889, the 
expiration of his present term. 



OUR POLICE. 147 

respect and esteem even from his political opponents. Mr. Savage 
during the last Presidential election spoke repeatedly for Cleve- 
land, and his speeches were warmly applauded. He has never 
married. He is a Mason, being a member of Concordia Lodge, 
No. 13. 

Though he has led an exceptionally active life, Mr. Savage 
has found time to acquire a knowledge of the German language 
and has several times delivered public addresses in that difficult 
tongue. He is especially popular with the Germans of Balti- 
more, and is a member of the Baltimore Schuetzen and the Ger- 
mania Msennerchor societies. The firm of Savage & Taylor has 
for years been the regularly retained counsel for the Baltimore 
Schuetzen Society, the wealthiest German organization in the 
Monumental City. Mr. Savage continues to be a diligent student 
of the German language and literature. He has also become 
well-known for his oratorical abilities. In 1882 he delivered an 
eloquent address at a banquet given in Trenton, New Jersey, by 
Aaron Wilkes Post, G. A. R., to visiting ex-Confederates, and 
his addresses on Baron DeKalb delivered in 1886 before the 
United German Singing Societies of Baltimore, and on Robert 
Burns before the Caledonian Club of Baltimore in 1886, and 
latterly his oration at the unveiling of a monument in Hollywood 
Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia, erected to the memory of the 
Otey Battery dead ; have added to his reputation. 



148 OUR POLICE. 



CHAPTER VII. 

The Marshal. 

the interesting career of marshal erey. — one of the 

bravest and best known officers in the country. 

the conspicuous crimes he has unearthed. hollohan's 

murderous attack upon him. — his magnanimity and his 

coolness in danger. increasing the efficiency of the 

southern district police. the attack on mrs. sar- 

racco. — the wharton-ketchum poisoning case. — the 
murder of mrs. lampley. — the cumberland riots and 

mr. frey's bravery. — how he controlled the mob. 

a raid on the baltimore banks by forgers. the 

unger-bohle trunk case. 

No one who does not know of Marshal Jacob Frey would 
think from a casual look at him that he was one of the best and 
bravest police officers in the country. His appearance is that of 
an unusually intelligent and agreeable gentleman whom a stran- 
ger would not hesitate to choose as an associate ; but he is a great 
deal more than that. There is not a cooler or a gamer man 
living than he. Although below the average height, he is so 
strong, so quietly determined, and so thoroughly in earnest that 
he is universally esteemed by good citizens and as thoroughly 
feared by the bad ones. He is the one man in a hundred thou- 
sand who knows in emergencies what to do and how to do it. 
When Hollohan attempted to kill him at Annapolis, and inflicted 
wounds which would have knocked all moderation out of the or- 
dinary man, Marshal Frey merely stayed the arm of his assailant 
and magnanimously entreated the intensely excited spectators in 
the court room not to harm the prisoner. 

And yet Mr. Frey did not start out in life with any ambition 
to be a police officer. He went through the public schools, 




JACOB FREY, 
Marshal of Police. 



OUR POLICE. 151 

was graduated at the High School, and entered the stove business. 
He afterward became a manufacturer of stoves. 

Jacob Frey was appointed captain April 23, 1867, and assumed 
-command of the Southern district. Its force was not distinguished 
by superior efficiency. It was looked upon as one of the least 
worthy of the four districts, and when anything of unusual im- 
portance occurred men were sent from the Central office to work 
it up. Big cases were never entrusted to the Southern district 
police. Captain Frey appreciated this, and in his quiet way 
determined to remedy it. He was resolved to show that he 
and his force were able to attend fully to their duties. He 
made no boasts but let his record speak. In a short time the 
force of the Southern district showed new energy and pro- 
ficiency. It was equal to every emergency, and the poor esti- 
mate of its importance which had been held at headquarters passed 
entirely away. The Southern district men became as thoroughly 
trusted as any of their rivals. Several bits of good work fell 
under Captain Frey's supervision and he managed them ad- 
mirably. One of these cases was the cold-blooded murder of 
Captain Johnson and his mate in Tangier Sound, by four colored 
men who had shipped on board of an oyster-boat at Baltimore. 
It occurred in the spring of 1867. Mr. Martin, secretary to the 
Police Commission, was from Somerset county, and of course the 
people down there at once turned to him to detect and arrest the 
murderers. He very naturally wanted every effort concentrated 
upon the case. Two of the negroes escaped to the eastern shore 
of Virginia and were captured, but the other two — Frank Rounds 
and George Bailey — covered their tracks more successfully. 
Weeks passed and no clew to their whereabouts was obtained. 
Captain Frey continued his diligence, however, and months after- 
wards succeeded in locating Rounds in Guilford's alley, where he 
was promptly arrested. Months after this Captain Frey found 
Bailey in the Baltimore City Jail, to which he had been commit- 
ted as a common thief. The Captain took both prisoners to 
Princess Anne, where they were convicted. They were hanged 
on March 5, 1868. 

Another case which Captain Frey handled with unusual sue- 



152 OUR POLICE. 

cess was the attack made by " Joe" Woods, a negro, upon Cap- 
tain Clayton, whose vessel lay at Smith's dock. The present 
commander of the Central district, Captain Farnan, made the 
arrest, and the story of the crime is told in the sketch of his* 
life. 

Captain Frey, although successful to an unusual degree in his- 
work, was not entirely satisfied with its financial aspect. The pay 
was only $22 a week, and was a great deal less than his income 
in business had been. He had left his establishment in the hands 
of an employe, and he found that his business interests were ne- 
glected. He consequently decided to give up police work and 
return to the more lucrative if more prosaic business of manu- 
facturing stoves, but the Police Commissioners would not hear 
of such a thing. President Jarrett was particularly emphatic 
in his protestations, and Captain Frey was finally induced to 
remain. On April 19, 1870, the Commissioners selected a 
Deputy-Marshal. They cast their unanimous vote for Captain 
Jacob Frey. He accepted the place, gave up his private business,, 
and from the start devoted his energies and great abilities 
to the work of his responsible position. There has not been an 
important event in the police history of Baltimore since that 
time in which he has not prominently participated. 

The murderous assault, on Monday night, April 24, 1871, upon 
Mrs. Carlotta Sarracco, the wife of an Italian music teacher, who 
lived in a charming little cottage just beyond the city limits, east of 
Charles street and near the Blind Asylum, greatly aroused the 
indignation of the citizens of Baltimore. The Sarracco cottage 
was a bower of flowers. Mr. Sarracco was a Tuscan, and brought 
with him from that beautiful part of Italy many of the tastes which 
make the people of Tuscany so artistic and lovable. He and his 
wife were devoted to each other. His profession enabled him 
to spend much of his time at home, and all of his leisure he 
devoted to his wife and his flowers. He had several pupils in dif- 
ferent parts of Baltimore county, and he was sometimes com- 
pelled to spend the night away from home. One of these occa- 
sions was on the night of the assault. Mr. Sarracco went to 
Hagerstown where he was to fill an engagement, and he left 



OUE POLICE. 153- 

his wife, the only other person in the house being a colored 
boy-of-all-work named Jeremiah Mahomet, a bright lad about 
seventeen years old. The day had been passed by Mrs. Sarracco 
in house-cleaning, and as the rooms in the upper part of the 
house were still damp, she resolved to pass the night on the lower 
floor. She made up a couch with some mattresses in the dining- 
room and retired. She was a sound sleeper and she took the 
precaution before going to bed to tell Mahomet that he should 
respond instantly at any noise he might hear in the house. This 
the boy promised to do. 

It was nearly midnight when a big hand was pushed stealthily 
through the vines which half closed the windows of the dining- 
room, The latch of the sash was carefully forced back with a 
thin-bladed knife, and noiselessly the form of a negro entered the 
room. It was moonlight without and against that brilliant back- 
ground the man stood, a blot of intense black against the splen- 
dor of the night. The negro, his eyes opened to their widest, his- 
hands outstretched in the obscurity of the room, moved forward. 
He struck his bare feet against the rocker of a chair. A low 
curse relieved him and again he moved forward, his eyes fixed 
upon the rear of the room where Mrs. Sarracco was lying. It 
took the negro several minutes to pass across that ten feet of 
floor. - Every creak of the boards beneath his feet would startle 
him ; as the mice would run about within the wall the negro 
would stop and glance fearfully over his shoulder, dreading 
lest he w© r o discovered. At last he stood over the bed. There 
was little pause then. He pushed his hand beneath Mrs. Sar- 
racco' s pillow, but discovered no valuables there. Then believ- 
ing that she might wear some jewelry about her neck, he laid his 
hand upon a necklace which Mr. Sarracco had presented to his 
wife a short time before. The burning touch awakened the 
sleeping lady. She saw the low forehead and gleaming eves of 
the negro close to her face. With a cry of horror she sprang 
up and cried out ; 

"What do you want?" 

"Hush, or I'll kill you," hissed her assailant. 

The threat was sufficient to indicate the ruffian's purpose. 



154 OUR POLICE. 

Mrs. Sarracco leaped from her bed and grappled with the negro. 
She was a woman of large frame and was stronger than most 
of her sex. The conflict was a terrible one. The negro and 
his expected victim rolled about the floor of the room fighting 
like demons. Mrs. Sarracco bit and scratched the man until 
the blood streamed from his face and neck. Finally, finding 
himself matched in strength, the negro drew a keen razor, a 
weapon which at that time was just becoming popular with 
colored desperadoes, and made several severe gashes upon the 
face of his victim, she bravely holding on to him and screaming 
for help all the time. The man succeeded in disengaging his 
hand once more and made another slash at the lady's throat, 
cutting downward toward the breast bone, and just grazing 
the windpipe. He then wrenched himself away and jumped 
out of the rear window through which he had entered. Before 
he went, however, he knocked his victim down by a blow of 
his fist. By this time the colored boy in the basement, having 
been awakened by the screams of his mistress and the noise of 
the struggle, came running up-stairs. As he entered the dining- 
room, the burglar was making his exit through the window. 
He dropped his hat as he went. The boy at once raised an 
alarm and assistance soon arrived. Doctors Page and Grindrat 
were roused and came at once to dress Mrs. Sarracco's wounds. 
Their promptness probably prevented her bleeding to death. 
After a long illness, the gashes she received in the encounter 
healed. 

Deputy-Marshal Frey hearing of the occurrence at an early 
hour, went out to the scene, reaching the house at five o'clock 
in the morning. He found the room in which the conflict took 
place in a state of great confusion, showing the terrible ordeal 
through which Mrs. Sarracco had passed. The furniture was over- 
turned and the pools of blood on the wooden floor indicated the 
course of the struggle. On the window sill through which the 
burglar escaped, quantities of blood were left, and the walls were 
bespattered with gore. Deputy-Marshal Frey immediately put 
his men at work on the matter. The hat which the negro had 
dropped in his flight was an unerring clue to his identity, for 



OUR POLICE. 155 

both Mrs. Sarracco and her servant-boy recognized it as belong- 
ing to a colored man, named John Thomas, who had worked for 
the lady a few days previously. The boy Mahomet and the man 
had worked together in Mrs. Sarracco's garden, and the boy 
declared that Thomas had said to him, that from the way Mrs. 
Sarracco talked he thought she must have considerable money. 

Mr. Frey's first inquiries were for the residence of Thomas. 
Nobody knew where he lived, except that he had gone towards 
the city each night when through with his work. In the Bal- 
timore directory there were no less than twenty " John Thomas's," 
so that the search for the burglar bore a rather discouraging as- 
pect at the beginning. The description of the man was as fol- 
lows : He was a young fellow, about twenty-two years of age, 
about five feet six inches tall, dusky brown and of rather pleas- 
ing features, with woolly hair and small side whiskers. Deputy- 
Marshal Frey set detectives near every house in which the direc- 
tory said a John Thomas lived. They watched all day long and 
all night. On Wednesday three John Thomas's were arrested, 
none of whom proved to be the right one. On Wednesday even- 
ing the Deputy-Marshal himself set watch on the building No, 
28 Ross street, in which one John Thomas lived. At about 
eleven o'clock he was rewarded by seeing a man who answered 
the description of the would-be murderer enter the house. This 
man proved to be the right one. He was locked up in the Cen- 
tral District station-house until five o'clock the following after- 
noon, when his examination took place before Police Justice Hag- 
gerty. In the meantime Deputy-Marshal Frey had succeeded 
in getting a confession from the man, by confronting him with 
the evidence against him — his hat and the razor with which the 
cutting had been done. The razor had been found near Mrs. 
Sarracco's house after a long search by policeman Widdefield on 
Tuesday evening. It was clotted with blood, and was discov- 
ered in the dust just outside of the gate, where it had evidently 
been thrown by the man in his flight. The prisoner when put 
upon the witness-stand showed that he had not escaped from the 
conflict with his victim unscathed. His face and eyes were 
badly scratched and bruised. The clothes he wore on the night 



156 OUR POLICE. 

of the assault were shown in court. They were covered with 
large spots of blood. He was shown the razor and asked if it 
belonged to him. 

" Yes, it's mine," he replied ; " it belonged to my father." 
The hat found in the dining-room was put on the prisoner's 
head and the boy Mahomet identified him as the man who had 
worked with him in the garden the week before. Thomas de- 
manded a trial by jury, notwithstanding his confession. He was 
convicted and sentenced to twenty-one years' imprisonment in 
the Maryland State Penitentiary, where he died after serving 
about one-third of his sentence. During the trial a sad accident 
happened to Mrs. Sarracco. One day as she was leaving the 
Court House she fell down the stone steps of the building and 
fractured her skull. She died from the effects of her wounds a 
short time afterward. 

A celebrated case which Deputy-Marshal Frey worked up and 
which was a sensation of national proportions, was that of Mrs. 
Ellen G. Wharton, charged with killing by tartar-emetic General 
W. Scott Ketchum. Mrs. Wharton was the wife of an officer in 
the United States Army. She came to this city about 1863. 
Independently of her husband's position, by reason of her own 
character, her perfect cultivation of manner and her devotion as 
a wife and mother, she won her way into the best social circles 
of the city, and such a thing as scandal of any kind had never 
been connected with her name. In the latter part of June, 1871, 
the particulars of a horrible crime from Connecticut had shocked 
the whole country. An educated woman named Sherman, who 
moved in the best circles, had poisoned three husbands and sev- 
eral families, The case excited great interest in Baltimore, and 
when this interest was at its height it began to be rumored that 
a tragedy of a somewhat similar character had been enacted in 
North Eutaw street. For days the newspaper reporters were all 
at sea. The police had the case in hand, but they would say 
nothing until they had probed the mystery thoroughly. Then 
the following details came out : A retired officer of the United 
States Army, General Ketchum, left Washington on June 24 
with the avowed purpose of going to Baltimore to collect $2,600 



OUR POLICE. 157 

which he had lent to Mrs. Wharton, the widow of a brother 
officer for whom he had the most friendly regard. He did come 
to Baltimore and was taken ill at Mrs. Wharton's house a very 
few hours after he reached there. Doctor P. C. Williams, a 
well-known physician, attended him and discovered the symp- 
toms of metallic poisoning. General Ketchum lingered until 
June 30, when he died. On the recommendation of Doctor Wil- 
liams, who was convinced that there was foul play in the matter, 
the corpse was removed to a place where the cause of the 
death could be ascertained. Portions of the body were analyzed 
and twenty grains of tartar-emetic, a violent metallic poison, were 
found in the stomach. Mrs. Wharton a few days afterward re- 
paired to Washington, and applied to the administrators of Gen- 
eral Ketchum for $4,000 which she alleged she had deposited 
with the General. She was courteously but very decidedly re- 
pulsed, and the question was asked why she had not paid the 
$2,600 which General Ketchum had lent her? She replied that 
she had paid it on June 17, and had torn the note up. The Gen- 
eral's books, however, showed that she had paid interest on the 
25th of that month. 

Other circumstances seemed to condemn Mrs. Wharton. On 
the same day when General Ketchum was poisoned, Mr. Eugene 
Yan Ness, Mrs. Wharton's confidential adviser, called to see 
her and was taken ill with the same symptoms that affected 
General Ketchum. For six days he languished between life 
and death, but happily he was saved by the acuteness of his 
wife, who discovered sediment in the glass which held his 
nourishment. The police under Deputy-Marshal Frey worked 
up this case so thoroughly that not a link was missing in the 
chain of evidence. They showed where and when Mrs. Whar- 
ton had purchased quantities of tartar-emetic, and on the stand 
Mr. Frey gave a long account of his interviews with Mrs. 
Wharton. The case was tried at Annapolis and consumed forty 
days. At every session the court-room was crowded, and the 
greatest interest was taken in the proceedings throughout the 
country. Nearly all the expert medical ability of Baltimore 
was brought into requisition, and the eminent counsel on both 



158 OUR POLICE. 

sides left no stone unturned. Dr. Edward Warren, the founder 
of Washington Medical College and dean of the institution, 
advanced the opinion at the trial that General Ketchum had died 
of cerebro spinal meningitis. This was the first time that that 
disease had ever been brought to the attention of the public in 
Baltimore. Its becoming known under such circumstances caused 
much comment among the people. The result, a verdict for 
acquittal, was doubtless a great disappointment to the public, for 
Mrs. Wharton was then generally believed to be guilty. 

A crime which stirred Baltimore to its depths as it was never 
stirred before was the Lampley murder. It took place on the 
night of January 2, 1873. John Lampley and his wife, both 
aged, resided in the eastern section of the city. The old gen- 
tleman had amassed a considerable fortune. He generally kept 
from $1,000 to $1,500 in his house and this fact was known to 
his relatives. His wife's grand-daughter was the wife of Joshua 
Nicholson, and being on intimate terms with the Lampley family, 
Nicholson knew where the money was kept. Nicholson and 
Thomas B. Hollohan worked together in a tin can factory, and 
here began the acquaintance which made them partners in a 
most heinous crime and an ignominious death. On the night of 
the murder Mr. Lampley had gone to the theatre, for the first 
time in thirty years, leaving his wife, who was seventy years 
of age, alone in the house. When some of the relatives re- 
turned later in the evening she was found murdered and the 
house robbed of $1,155 in notes and silver coin. The only 
clue was a chisel found in the alley-way with which a trunk 
containing the money had been broken open. A bundle of 
cakes, two pieces of pie and two apples that were found on a 
table wrapped up pointed to Nicholson, on the supposition that 
the pastry had been prepared for his two children by Mrs. 
Lampley, their great grandmother. The working up of this case 
was in the hands of Deputy-Marshal Frey, and the thorough- 
ness with which he did the work was a most excellent tribute to 
his ability. On the day following the dreadful crime, the un-, 
marred corpse of the aged victim was lying in the parlor of its 
former neat though modest home in Mulligan street near Bond 



OUR POLICE. 159 

street. The room was filled with weeping women and silent 
men, for the sudden taking away of the oldest neighbor's life in 
such a manner had cast more than a shadow of sorrow upon the 
community. Towards evening Detective Pontier, who had been 
assigned to the case by the Deputy-Marshal, stepped in upon the 
gathering and glanced carefully at the different faces that com- 
posed the group nearest the coffin. As he was turning away his 
attention was attracted by a young woman beckoning to him. 

" You are the detective, are you not?" she asked, in a low 
tone. 

The policeman replied in the affirmative. 

" Well, I want to speak to you a moment alone. Follow me 
into the yard." 

The detective followed the young woman as she requested. 
When they they were out of hearing distance from the other 
people she said : 

" Go into the parlor again ; at the head of the corpse you will 
see a good-looking young man ; if you are after the murderer of 
Mrs. Lampley, keep your eye on him." Thus saying the woman 
withdrew. 

Detective Pontier returned to the parlor. Seated at the head 
of the coffin was a young man who might answer the description 
of good-looking. He was gazing with a pensive countenance 
upon the floor, from which he did not raise his eyes while the 
detective was watching him. A moment afterward the door 
opened and a man entered whom Detective Pontier knew well. 
He was John English, one of the leaders of the " Plug Ugly" 
gang, and bore the reputation of being a bad character. He was 
the son-in-law of the murdered woman. The detective called 
English to him and taking him one side, asked him : 

" Who is the young man at the head of the coffin ? 

English started and gazed into space for a moment. Then 
turning to the detective he replied impressively : 

" You're on the right track, I'm afraid. That man is Josh 
Nicholson, the old lady's grand-daughter's husband." 

The detective had heard of Nicholson before as being a person 
in ill-repute with the police, though he had never before been 



160 O.UR POLICE. 

brought into contact with him. Turning again to English he 
said : 

"I will go into the backroom and engage in conversation with 
a lady. Come in and see who she is, and when I come out, tell 
me." 

And Detective Pontier went into the rear room and con- 
versed with the young woman who had spoken to him before. 
When he returned to the parlor English told him that he had been 
talking with Nicholson's wife. 

"Are you sure ?" demanded the officer, not believing it possi- 
ble that a woman would have spoken concerning her husband as 
she had. 

" Perfectly sure. I know her well," replied English. 

The detective kept his own counsel, but called the following 
day for a further talk with Mrs. Nicholson. When he arrived 
at the house the woman herself opened the door to admit him, 
and called him to a room on the second floor so as to be out of 
hearing. 

"I think my husband and a man whom he brought home to 
dinner with him yesterday are the murderers of my grand- 
mother," were the woman's first words. She spoke impressively 
but without a tremor in her voice. " Go down stairs now and 
you will find him alone in the parlor. Ask him who the man is 
who was with him yesterday, and make him speak loud, so that 
I can hear what he says. I will listen outside the door." 

The detective went to the parlor and found Nicholson there as 
his wife had said. 

" This is pretty bad business, ain't it, Josh?" began the police- 
man. 

"Awful," replied Nicholson, with a deep sigh. "She was a 
kind old grandmother to me." 

"Who was the man you brought home to dinner with you yes- 
terday?" asked the detective suddenly, changing the subject. 

Nicholson colored. 

" I brought home with me ?" he stammered, " why I — oh, that 
was, er — er, that was — Tom Callahan." 



OUR POLICE. 161 

Mr. Pontier seemed to take no notice of the man's embarrass- 
ment at the question, but continued : 

"Where does he live?" 

" I really don't know," replied Nicholson. 

" Well, where does he work ?" 

" I don't know that, either," returned the young man. 

At this the detective turned away, and Nicholson, evidently 
glad to escape further questioning, went out of the room into the 
kitchen in the rear. As soon as he was gone his wife, who had 
been listening to the conversation, stepped from behind the door 
and said, excitedly : 

"Everything he has told you is a lie ! That man's name is 
Hollohan, and he works at the same bench with Josh in the 
canning factory." 

The following day Pontier arrested Hollohan on suspicion, but 
Marshal Gray, considering the evidence against him insufficient, 
refused to hold the man. The detective continued his search for 
clues, but the only one that was found for a long time was the 
chisel with a peculiar handle cut from a raw twig, which was found 
in the snow by a policeman, and with which, it was believed, the 
closets and the bureau drawers had been opened by the murder- 
ers in their search for the plunder. Deputy-Marshal Frey had 
this - chisel taken to every hardware shop, to every blacksmith, 
to every carpenter and to every ship-builder in town, in the hope 
that he might find somebody who would recognize it. But in 
vain. At last, after about a month's search, its owner was 
found. He was a deaf and dumb boy, the son of the lady who 
kept the boarding-house in which Hollohan lived. The boy had 
been presented with a tool-box and had replaced the first handle 
of the chisel with the one made of the piece of raw twig. He 
had lived in the room which Hollohan occupied, previously to the 
man's coming to board with his mother, and when he moved out 
of the room he left his tool-box behind with a few other articles 
in the closet. Having thus brought the chisel so near to Hollo- 
han the Deputy-Marshal directed Pontier to arrest him again, 
and the man was locked up. Nicholson was also arrested. 
Efforts were begun to get a confession from one or both of the 



162 OUR POLICE. 

men. With Nicholson Mr. Pontier was successful. The man 
told the whole horrible story of the heartless crime. When he 
learned that his companion had confessed, Hollohan admitted 
that he was one of the murderers, only giving a different version 
of the story. This is Hollohan's story : 

" While working at my trade last autumn, at No. 99 South 
Bond street, I made the acquaintance of Nicholson. About a 
month after, he invited me up to his house and introduced me to 
his wife. At the time I was very much pleased with my new 
acquaintance. A week or so after he asked me to take a ride 
with him down to Lower Canton ; he had English's horse and 
buggy. He then told me about this old gentleman, Mr. Lamp- 
ley, having a large amount of money in his house — $3,000 or 
$4,000. He then said: 

" ' Tom, we can make a good raise without any trouble.' 
" He told me how it could be done. He said that Mr. Lamp- 
ley went into the country on Sunday a-fishing, and did not get 
home until late at night. He said he once lived in the house, 
and knew where the money was kept. He knew that I had been 
in trouble once before, and he was no ways bashful in asking me 
to assist him. I consented to go with him. The day was ap- 
pointed — it was one Sunday night — to carry out his plans. 
When he said that we would have to < croak the old woman' 
(those are the very words he used), I suggested a better plan. 
I told him that if we hurt the old lady we would be running 
greater risk. I said that we could get the money without using 
any violence, if he would dress in disguise ; that we could talk 
the money out of the old lady. To that Nicholson would not 
consent, giving as his reasons that if the old lady was robbed, 
every one of the relatives would suspicion him, and that if he 
' croaked her,' no one would think that he would do it. I would 
not agree with him, so we gave it up that day. But he mentioned 
it to me about a week before Christmas. He still wanted to 
' croak' the old lady. I did not agree with him, and we gave 
the thing up for that time. I told him it was useless to run 
such a great risk when we could get the money without. He 
said the old lady would recognize him ; that I could not do it by 



OUR POLICE. 163 

myself with safety. Nicholson did not say anything to me on 
that subject until the afternoon of January 2, 1873. I accident- 
ally met him at No. 99 South Bond street. He invited me up 
to his house. I went there. While there I was introduced to 
Mr. John Lampley by Mrs. Nicholson. I afterwards accompanied 
Nicholson to his father's house, on Forrest street, near Central 
avenue. On our way there he told me what a splendid chance 
we could have to-night to get that money. He thought the old 
man would go to the theatre with John English, the latter's wife 
and little boy. He was not certain that Mr. Lampley would go, 
but if I agreed to go with him that night he said he would meet me 
at half-past 6 o'clock at Bond and Baltimore streets. We met 
there at the appointed time. He then told me that the old man 
had gone ; so I agreed to go with him to help carry his plans 
out. We arrived at Mr. Lampley's house at about 7 o'clock. 
No one was there but this old lady. She was sitting in her 
working chair, a-sewing. Nicholson entered without knocking. 
She spoke to him very kindly. I followed him. Josh gave me 
an introduction. He said I was a friend of his ; that I wanted 
her son John to do some papering for me. Nicholson asked this 
question to ascertain where John was. We talked then a little 
while, when Mrs. Lampley got up and went to the cupboard and 
took from there a brown paper bag of cakes, telling Nicholson 
that she had put them up for his little children, that she intended 
to send them over to Nicholson's house that morning. Then she 
treated Nicholson and myself to some wine, saying that it was 
liome-made. Nicholson stood behind her. I was standing by 
her side. Josh gave the signal. I grabbed her by the throat. 
At the same time Nicholson struck her with his fist in the stom- 
ach. We then carried her into the other room and laid her on 
the carpet — she was dead. Nicholson ran out and fastened the 
gate and closed the window shutters. Everything was arranged 
between Nicholson and myself before we entered the house. 
Josh took the light and went up-stairs to get the money. I re- 
mained with Mrs. Lampley in the dark, and if John Lampley 
came in, I was to get away with him. I had my pistol witli 
me. 



164 OUR POLICE. 

"Nicholson made a considerable noise in prying the trunk 
open. I ran up-stairs where he was. to caution him about making 
so much noise. He said : 

" 'Tom, I have got it opened.' 

' ; He then handed me the silver; he took the paper money. 
I did not remain up-stairs but a minute ; we both went down to- 
gether. He placed the lamp upon the table and turned down the 
light. He then handed me all the money. He took his umbrella 
with him. It was very dark and raining, and w T e went through 
the stable. Josh opened the gate that led out into a ten-foot 
alley. After we got out in Dalls street, he remarked that he 
was very sorry that those cakes were left upon the table. I asked 
him where the chisel was. He said he had thrown it into the 
alley. We separated at Eden and Fayette streets. He said he 
was going home. I then went down to my boarding-house. The 
money was not divided until a week after ; in fact the silver was 
never divided. We considered that it was dangerous property to 
handle at that time. I gave him $515 of the greenbacks the 
evening of the eighth of January. Since we have been arrested 
I told him to have one of his friends get §300 that I had hidden 
in this city. They went for it, but said they could not find it. 
I am satisfied they got it. I wanted to get it to fee a lawyer. If 
I had had my own way, the old woman, Mrs. Lampley, would be 
alive to-day. There is one party that has been accused wrong- 
fully and that is Albert 0. Tucker. He did not know anything 
about it, nor never had any of the money. He is a man I would 
trust. I do believe if he had known of it he would have 
talked me out of the notion. I make this statement in justice to 
him. I have not screened myself. Everything that I have done 
I have stated. I know that I have broken the laws of God and 
man, and I am willing to give up my life ; but I want Brother 
Nicholson on the same platform." 

The reference here to Nicholson was prompted by the latter 's 
unsuccessful effort to turn all the guilt on Hollohan. 

The trial of this case at Annapolis was one of the most cele- 
brated and dramatic hearings ever occurring before the Maryland 
courts. The testimony was of the most startling character, filled 



OUR POLICE. 165 

with pathetic incidents, and having in it sufficient to cause the 
most intense feeling in the court-room. When the evidence had 
all been placed before the court, and Mr. Revell, who appeared 
for the State, was delivering his closing argument, Hollohan kept 
his gaze fixed upon Deputy-Marshal Frey, who was sitting near 
the attorneys' table chatting with some newspaper men. Mr. 
Revell made such a stirring speech that the attention even of the 
court officers was attracted to him, and they neglected watching 
the prisoners as carefully as they were expected to. Without 
a sound of warning Hollohan sprang from the prisoners' box, 
and leaping over tables and chairs rushed up to the Deputy-Mar- 
shal and dealt him a murderous blow on the top of the head with 
a stocking which he had filled with pieces of iron and stone. Mr. 
Frey reeled backwards for a moment — but only for one instant. 
The crowd in the court-room rushed forward and the wildest 
excitement ensued, during which Hollohan dashed for the window 
and Nicholson for the door. Citizens pursued both ruffians, 
those after Hollohan crying : 

"Kill him! kill him!" 

With the blood streaming over his face and clothing from the 
wound the murderer had inflicted, Mr. Frey leaped towards Hol- 
lohan, and placing his hand upon his shoulder exclaimed : 

"Stand back, gentlemen; this man belongs to the State; he 
has not been sentenced yet. Do not hit him." 

This magnanimity on the part of the deputy-marshal was re- 
garded as extraordinary by the people of Maryland. He was 
widely praised, even Hollohan saying just before he was 
hanged : 

" I was aggravated against him, but when they were crying 
out: ' Kill him! kill him!' around me, and when I was over- 
powered, I heard him say : ' Do not hit him.' I was sorry I had 
struck him, for it proved him to be a brave and magnanimous 
man." Hollohan also said that his attack was directed mainly 
against chief-detective Crone. 

The trial was ended by the conviction of the murderers, and 
they were hanged on Friday, August 1, 1873. 



166 OUR POLICE. 

The experience -which brought out more fully than anything 
else the competence of the Baltimore police force, was that re- 
ceived in the railroad riots of July, 1877. At a time when the 
people lost their heads, the policemen in general and deputy- 
marshal Frey in particular, were cool, brave and determined. 
The strike was caused by a reduction of ten per cent, in the pay 
of the firemen on the freight engines of the Baltimore and Ohio 
Railroad. The men claimed that they were already working at 
starvation wages, and could not afford to labor for less. The com- 
pany declared that the depression in the general business interests 
of the country compelled the reduction, and made it unable to pay 
high wages. The firemen left their work on the morning of 
Monday, July 16, 1877. There were about a hundred of them 
at first. In many instances they went out on their trains a few 
miles from the city, and when the engines stopped to take coal 
they left their places, refusing to go any farther. At first the 
strike seemed easy to manage, but as the first day wore on and 
news came that the trouble had reached Martinsburg, and that 
the militia had been called out there, things became more serious. 
The police were promptly on hand. They were stationed in 
twos and threes, at various points between Baltimore and the 
Belay House, and a squad of twelve was at Camden Junction. 
The first day passed quietly, although few of the freight trains 
left the city, but on the second day — Tuesday — the excitement 
began in the afternoon. A freight train of eighteen loaded cars 
from the West, bound for Locust Point, was partly wrecked by 
means of a misplaced switch at a trestle near the foot of Leadenhall 
street, Spring Garden, and the engine and several cars were thrown 
into a gulley. News, too, arrived of the fight at Martinsburg, in 
which two firemen were shot. At night the employes of the 
Baltimore and Ohio Company held a meeting and decided to sup- 
port the strikers, but first to try conciliation with the company. 
Conciliation failed and the strike went on. On Wednesday, the 
third day of the troubles, the West Virginia authorities called on 
President Hayes for troops, and a proclamation was at once issued 
by the President. Troops were promptly sent. Of course all this 
had its effect in Baltimore, but on that day there were no hostile 



OUR POLICE. 167 

demonstrations here. The freight business amounted practically 
to nothing, but the passenger trains arrived as usual. The Com- 
pany decided "not to recede from its position, and a reward of 
$500 was offered by it for the arrest of the person or persons who 
caused the Spring Garden wreck. On the fourth day the trou- 
bles continued in Martinsburg, but there was no outbreak in 
Baltimore until the next day. Baltimore was more excited than 
it had been since the war. 

About 3 o'clock in the afternoon of Friday, when the news 
had been received that the strike at Cumberland threatened to 
assume general proportions, Governor Carroll held a consultation 
with the officers of the Baltimore and Ohio Company, and became 
convinced that the presence of the military at Cumberland was 
necessary for the preservation of peace and order. A half hour 
later he issued an order to Brigader-General Herbert, commanding 
the First Brigade, M. N. G., ordering him to proceed to Cumber- 
land. Simultaneously he issued a proclamation calling upon the 
rioters to desist. Soon afterwards General Herbert held another 
consultation with Governor Carroll to consider whether the military 
should be summoned to their respective armories by a " military 
call" from the bells. Governor Carroll objected to this, and 
General Herbert tried to get the men at the armories by the or- 
dinary means, but not succeding very well, again asked the Gov- 
ernor that the bells be rung. This was done, and a great mis- 
fortune it proved. At twenty minutes of 6 o'clock the call — 
] — 5 — 1— was sounded from the City Hall and fire bells. The 
people knew what it meant, and in a very short time the streets 
around the armories were filled with men and boys of all ages 
who sympathized with the strikers. It was about the time that 
the work in the factories was over, and all the workmen helped to 
swell the crowds. In front of the armory of the Sixth Regiment, 
at Fayette and Front streets, the mob numbered at least 2,000. 
Strangely enough, the officers of the regiment sent word to the 
police headquarters, asking that policemen be sent to clear the 
way, so that the regiment could march on to Camden station. 
The old system then in vogue scattered the policemen, so that not 
enough of them could be collected in time for the work, and in 



168 OUR POLICE. 

two hours the crowd was so large that no force was able to 
handle it. 

The troubles at the Sixth regiment armory began at about 
seven o'clock. A brick-bat was thrown into one of the windows. 
Four policemen — Officers Albert Whitely, James Jamison, Oliver 
Kenly, and Roberts — were stationed at the door, and in spite of 
the volleys of stones and missiles and jeers that followed they 
manfully -stood their dangerous guard, although the four militia 
men who had been with the policemen had been called in. The 
hour set for marching was 8.15 o'clock, and the crowd had 
become maddened and aggressive. The companies, however, 
determined to pass the rioters. When' they appeared on the 
street there was a riot so general that it drove the men back 
again into the building. The next time they came out they had 
orders to fire. The first company fired high, but the attack be- 
came so heavy on the following companies that they discharged 
their weapons into the crowd. From that instant all along the 
march to Camden station the firing was continuous and general, 
resulting in the killing of about a dozen people and the serious 
wounding of as many more. 

The Fifth regiment did not use its guns, although it was 
severely attacked and had every provocation to fire. The men 
marched admirably through showers of stones and other missiles. 
There were 250 of them. At the junction of Camden and Eutaw 
streets a solid mass of rough-looking men blocked their passage. 
They came to a halt for a moment, and although the bricks were 
falling fast, Captain Zollinger counselled his men not to fire. 
Then he ordered them to prepare to double-quick with their fixed 
bayonets into the depot. Drawing his sword, Captain Zollinger 
shouted to the mob to give way, that the command might pass. 
A brawny man opposed the captain, who promptly knocked him 
down, and amid the hoots and yells and several shots from the 
crowd the regiment charged into the depot. Soon after the regi- 
ment had reached the station the building was set on fire and 
the rioters attempted to interfere with the firemen, but fortunately 
in this they did not succeed, and the flames were extinguished. 

The valiant service that the police did in these exciting hours 



OUR POLICE. 169 

has never been publicly acknowledged except by brief para- 
graphs in the newspapers. In every instance they awed the 
mob, while the soldiers incensed it. One policeman was equal 
to a dozen soldiers. Until long after midnight the police pro- 
tected the military and guarded all the depot buildings. It 
was the police who protected the firemen and the engines and 
hose, and thus saved the buildings. They were fired upon by 
the mob, and some were wounded, but they wounded a number 
of the mob, and in addition made numerous arrests. The 
result of the great excitement was that the order sending the 
soldiers to Cumberland was rescinded, and a proclamation to that 
eifect was issued by Mayor Latrobe. 

During these days the efficiency of the police was tried and 
proved. Deputy -Marshal Frey had command in and around 
Camden station. For nearly seventy hours he went without 
sleep. Single-handed, long before any officers could be assem- 
bled, on the Friday previous to the arrival of the military, he 
cleared the platform and front pavement of several hundred 
excited men, and when reinforced arrested two of the ring- 
leaders and took them to the Southern police station himself. 
On Saturday night crowds again collected around Camden station. 
About 9 P. M. a fire-alarm excited the rioters so that they rushed 
towards the lines that the police had formed. Shots were fired 
by the rioters, and several officers fell wounded. Then it was 
that Deputy-Marshal Frey told the men to keep steady, and a 
moment afterwards, their pistols being drawn, the command of 
" Take aim — Fire " was given. They fired low, and as they fired 
they rushed forward, and each officer grabbed a prisoner. Fifty 
arrests were made; several men were killed and a number 
wounded. There was another outbreak at 11 o'clock and fifty- 
three more arrests were made. On Sunday morning large crowds 
again collected around the Camden Station, and they were closely 
pressing upon the picket lines of the Fifth regiment. Deputy- 
Marshal Frey, not liking the looks of things, sent for a squad of 
twenty policemen. When they arrived the Deputy-Marshal took 
charge of them in person. He told the crowd that he was going 
to " clear that street," and he advised all peaceably disposed 



170 OUR POLICE. 

persons to go home. Many of them did so, but many more 
remained. Turning to his men, the Marshal gave orders to 
''Forward," and in a very short time the rioters were driven 
away. They knew the Deputy-Marshal, and they were afraid 
of him. 

When the riot had assumed such threatening proportions every 
effort was made to protect the city. United States soldiers from 
New York and other cities were promptly ordered to Baltimore. 
General W. S. Hancock arrived with eight companies of troops 
from New York harbor, and two war vessels with 560 men, fully 
equipped, anchored in the Patapsco. Several hundred special 
policemen were sworn in by the Police Board. Among them 
were such well-known citizens as William M. Pegram, Alexander 
M. Green, C. Morton Stewart, Frank Frick, E. Wyatt Blanch- 
ard, James H. Barney, J. L. Hoffman, Robert G. Hoffman, 
W. Gilmore Hoffman, John Donnell Smith, William A. Fisher, 
Frederick von Kapff, and Washington B. Hanson. They were 
supplied with the regular badges, and they did good work. The 
regular policemen were unfaltering in their duty, and most of 
them did not sleep during more than fifty hours. The great show of 
strength by the police and troops overawed the rioters, and the 
troubles were gradually quieted. The following Saturday freight 
trains, each guarded by ten soldiers, moved out on the road. 
The strikes in other cities continued, more or less, but within two 
weeks they were over. Trouble on the Northern Central road 
was happily averted. The jury of inquest which sat upon the 
man killed by the Sixth Regiment was very thorough in its 
investigations, and after several days consumed in taking testi- 
mony it rendered a verdict which found the rioters guilty of the 
troubles, but charged the regiment with shooting too hastily and 
too indiscriminately. It found fault because there were not more 
policemen on hand around the armory. This, however, was 
purely the fault of the military authorities in not giving sufficient 
notice to the Marshal. The part that the police force took in the 
memorable conflict will ever stand a monument to its courage 
and efficiency. 

One of the most curious bank cases in the criminal history of 



OUR POLICE. 171 

the city was that of July, 1880. Cleary, Bell, and Wilson, expert 
burglars, came to Baltimore in J ane for the purpose of " cleaning 
out " the town as far as they could. By selling Government bonds 
they secured ths checks of well-known brokers and made from 
them counterfeit lithograph blanks. Only one thing remained 
for them to do, and that was to ascertain from each firm the 
correct number of its checks for the day, so as to have every- 
thing regular on the face of the forged drafts. They did this by 
selling another government bond to each firm. The first bank 
victimized was the Merchants' National, at Gay and Second 
streets. On Friday, July 17, just before the close of business 
hours, an elderly man, of about fifty years, dignified and business- 
like, went into the Merchants' National Bank and presented to 
Mr. Morris, the paying teller, a check for $2,630, drawn in 
Mr. J. Harmanus Fisher's name, on his own peculiar blank, 
with government stamp in the center, and all correct. The 
money was promptly paid over. On Saturday morning the man 
returned with another check for $3,920. This too was paid 
after close scrutiny, and after being passed upon casually by a 
clerk from Mr. J. H. Fisher's office who happened to be in the 
bank at the time. Later on in the day a third check was brought 
in and cashed for the same party. The suspicions of Mr. Morris, 
the teller, were aroused, and he took the checks to Mr. Fisher's 
office, where they were pronounced forgeries. 

This was not an end of the schemes, however. On the same 
Friday morning a young man went into the banking house of 
Messrs. Middendorf & Oliver, and tendered for sale a $100 4 
per cent. bond. It was readily bought, and at his request he 
was given a check for $50 and the remainder in cash. About 
an hour later another stranger sold another bond to the same firm 
and got a check in payment. A half hour afterwards a third 
person made a similar sale with the same result. About two 
o'clock a handsomely dressed young fellow walked into the Third 
National Bank, went up to the' outer desk, indorsed his name on 
the back of a check and handed it to Mr. W. B. Medairy, the 
paying teller, to be cashed. Mr. Medairy looked at it. It was 
issued by Middendorf & Oliver, and was for the sum of $1,294.50, 



172 OUR POLICE. 

and indorsed on the back by W. Henry Murdock. All appeared 
to be correct, but Mr. Medairy said that the handsomely dressed 
young man would have to be identified. 

"Oh," said the young man, "then I'll step around to get the 
indorsement of the firm to my signature." 

He did step around and was gone just about long enough to 
go to the office and back. He returned with the alleged indorse- 
ment upon which the ink was not half dry. The money was 
paid. The same afternoon about five minutes past three o'clock 
another man ran hurriedly into the same bank and asked to de- 
posit some money. He offered a check on Middenclorf & Oliver 
for §1,396, drawn up in due form with his alleged name (D. M. 
Kimball) on the back, authenticated apparently by Messrs. Mid- 
dendorf & Oliver. The teller refused at first to cash the check 
as business hours had closed, but the man was so importunate 
that he finally cashed it. The fellow took the whole amount 
and left nothing on deposit. When Mr. Medairy balanced his 
books he found a discrepancy, and he went around to Messrs. 
Middendorf & Oliver to see about it. Then, of course, the for- 
geries were discovered. The swindlers tried their same game on 
the Western National Bank, but they were foiled by the unusual 
caution of Mr. Charles Nolting, the paying teller. 

Deputy-Marshal Frey worked up this case. The result was 
that George Bell, Henry Cleary, and Charles Farren were ar- 
rested in New York on July 27, and were arraigned on the day 
following. Bell and Cleary were recognized by the Baltimore 
bankers, but Farren was discharged. Both Bell and Cleary had 
interesting criminal records. Bell is still in the penitentiary 
in Baltimore. Cleary was released on March 17, 1887, and 
went South. Wilson, who was afterwards found to be connected 
with the gang, is serving a nine years term at Kingston, Ontario. 
Deputy -Marshal Frey brought Bell from New York on August 
18, 1880. and the latter was promptly tried and convicted in the 
criminal court of this city. There were previous charges in other 
cities against the two other men. 

A complete history of this crime is contained in a subsequent 
chapter. 



OUR POLICE. 173 

Marshal Frey profited largely by the experience he received 
in the riots of 1877, and ever since that time he has kept the 
force always prepared for emergencies. In the spring of 1886 
nearly every largb city in the country had its labor troubles, 
and the most difficult affairs to handle were the strikes of the 
street-car men. In April it became evident that there was going 
to be a strike in Baltimore. Mr. Frey expected it, and was 
fully prepared for it three days before it began. So complete 
were his arrangements and so thoroughly did he have everything 
in hand, that on the day of the strike, Wednesday, April 14, 
noon, by the time the cars got into their depots, he had police- 
men at the stables and all along the line of the roads. In 
fact, the people did not know that a strike had occurred until they 
saw the officers. Marshal Frey says that a Baltimore crowd is 
very easily managed so long as it is kept in good humor, and so 
long as hot-headed persons are prevented from getting together 
with the idea of arousing excitement and disturbance. He acted 
on this theory during that strike. The people were kept moving. 
Whenever any excitement began the crowd producing it was 
promptly broken up. In this way the trouble passed over without 
serious outbreaks of any kind, and although it lasted two weeks, 
good order was maintained as though nothing unusual was 
going on. 

The Unger trunk mystery is too fresh in the public mind to 
need long description. On Sunday morning, January 23, 1887, 
a trunk was received at the Adams Express warehouse on North 
street, addressed to " John A. Wilson, Baltimore. To be called 
for." No one called for it, and on Wednesday it began to smell 
so bad, that manager James Shuter determined to open it. He 
did so, but such a horrible stench issued from it that everybody 
was driven away. Mr. Shuter at once telephoned to headquar- 
ters, and Captain Farnan sent to the office the patrol-wagon, in 
in which were officers Slaysman, Jefferson Lutts and John Doyle. 
They took the trunk to the Central Station. Captain Farnan 
and some of the officers in the station re-opened it to ascertain its 
contents. They took out a calico shirt, a torn woolen shirt ami 
a coat which had been cut in half. The heavy brown paper was 



17 4 OUR POLICE. 

then opened, and there was a sight that even the policemen could 
hardly stand. Packed in the box was the trunk of a human body. 
The body looked as if it had been doubled up. with the legs under 
the back, so as to make it fit into the receptacle. On one side of 
the trunk were the left arru and the feet, which had been cut off. 
The other arm was tucked under the body. Cards on the man 
and inscriptions on the trunk were the only clues to the mystery. 
Marshal Frev sent the following telegram : 

Inspector Byrnes, 

Police Headquarters, New York: 
The headless body of a man was found in a trunk at Adams Express office 
this P. M. It came from your city ; was delivered to Adams by TTestcott Ex- 
press on Saturday last. Adams will be notified to communicate with you. 
We will hold body as long a* possible. In the trunk were found some cards 
of Henry Siegel, 205 Throop avenue, Brooklyn. On the shirt is found the 
name of C. Kaufhold. 

JACOB FBEY, Marshal. 

Inspector Byrnes and his men worked up the case at once, and 
the mystery was soon solved in the arrest on January 27 of 
Edward Unger for the murder of August Bohle. Inspector 
Byrnes drew out of him a confession by suddenly confronting 
him with the bloody evidences of his crime. The sensational 
feature of the trial which followed was the description of the 
killing by Unger. He acted the whole tragedy before the jury, 
and it had a powerful effect. Unger got off with a twenty- 
years' sentence, but as he is an old man this practically amounts 
to a life term. At the close of the case Inspector Byrnes paid 
this tribute to Marshal Frey : "He is one of the very foremost 
police officers in the country. It was half-past nine "Wednes- 
day night when the details he sent were given me. and so com- 
plete were they, fully covering every necessary point and line 
of information, that by their aid I was able to spot my man 
and arrest him eighteen hours after. Baltimore is lucky in 
having Marshal Frey at the head of its police department. ;: 

Marshal Frey has been unusually succesful in getting confes- 
sions out of criminals. His work in the "burking" case last- 
year, the particulars of which will be found in the next chapter, 



OUR POLICE. 175 

when he led the accused man, Ross, to narrate the particulars- 
of his crime, are well remembered. A somewhat similar case was 
that of the negro, George H. Williams, alias William Henry, who 
assaulted Mrs. Mary J. Ridley in Druid Hill Park, on May 24 
1887. Henry confessed to the Marshal and said that he had at- 
tacked the lady for purposes of robbery. There are dozens more 
of interesting cases which Marshal Frey has handled with his 
usual success. Those, however, that have been cited show the 
extent, and excellence of his work and prove his right to be 
considered one of the best and bravest policemen in the country. 
The celebrated Udderzook-Goss insurance case wa? prosecuted 
under Marshal Frey's direction. Udderzook was an insurance 
agent in this city. He entered into a conspiracy with Goss to 
defraud several companies for which he was agent. Udderzook 
insured Goss for a large amount, and the two then caused a body 
to be burned at a fire on York road, which Udderzook pretended 
to recognize as that of Goss. The conspiracy was discovered 
and facts were ferretted out by Marshal Frey which led to the 
arrest of the two men, and the confession of Goss. 

Mr. Frey's commission as Marshal dates from October 15, 1885: 
He was married in 1858. He has four children and he occupies 
a comfortable home in one of the prettiest sections of Northwest 
Baltimore. He is in the prime of life, and with the past for a 
prophet, there can be no doubt as to the brilliancy and usefulness 
of his future. 

The Marshal's clerk since 1870 has been Dr. George W. 
Wentz, He was appointed under Marshal Gray and was con- 
tinued in office under Marshal Frey. Dr. Wentz was born in 
this city on March 6, 1836. He was graduated as a physician 
but did not practice, preferring the profession of journalism, 
which he followed until his appointment as Marshal's clerk, to 
accept which office he resigned his position on the staff of the 
old Baltimore Gazette. 



176 OUR POLICE. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Deputy Marshal John Lannan. 

his rise from patrolman to deputy marshal. — a trip to 
china. — the minnesota and a typhoon. — clearing out 
dishonest servants. — running down new jersey burg- 
lars. a murderer identified intuitively. the rats 

had gnawed his handcuffs. — the riots of 1877. — the 

central station a hospital. three days and nights 

continuous service. a very sharp negro. a deputy 

MARSHAL'S DIAMOND BADGE. — THE ONLY BURKING CASE IN 
AMERICA. 

The vice-commander of any body of men must needs divide 
with his immediate official superior the responsibilities and honors 
of his position. This is particularly the case in police and 
military organizations, and especially so among the police of this 
city. To the deputy marshal then, be that credit which comes 
of honest endeavor to protect the lives and property under 
his guardianship ; that honor which is brought by years of 
faithful service in a position where faithfulness means safety 
to thousands of human beings. John Lannan is Deputy Mar- 
shal, and ranks second in the active force. He was born in 
the City of Limerick, Ireland, on June 19, 1834. When he 
was but four years old his parents came to this country, and 
made Baltimore their home. Since then, while Mr. Lannan has 
not forgotten his Celtic nativity, he has regarded the United 
States as his country, and this city as his chosen home. He re- 
ceived his early education in the public schools, and remained a 
pupil until he was 16 years old, when he entered the Baltimore 
and Ohio Railroad shops at Mount Claire. Four years were 
sufficient to make him skilled in his trade, and he then went 
to Philadelphia, Pa., where he worked for some time as a jour- 
neyman. But the attractions of the navy were strong for the 
American youth at that time, and young Lannan succumbed to 




JOHN LANNAN, 
Deputy Marshal of Police. 



OUR POLICE. 179 

them. While m Philadelphia he enlisted in the service and was 
assigned to the engineers' department on board the frigate 
Minnesota, commanded by Captain Dupont. 

The young mechanic's first voyage was an eventful and his- 
torical one. The Minnesota carried William B. Reed as Ameri- 
can plenipotentiary to China. Mr. Reed was to negotiate with 
the Imperial Government the provisions of the treaty of 1858. 
Young Lannan had ample opportunity on this trip to see the 
world. The Minnesota left Hampton Roads in the early part of 
1857, and touched at the Cape of Good Hope, Island of Java, 
the Island of Ceylon, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Manilla, the 
Phillippine Islands, Nagasaki, Japan ; and then went to the 
mouth of the Pei-ho river, the entrance to Pekin, capital of the 
Empire. The story of the Minnesota's stay there is a matter of 
history, but the narrative, as coming from Mr. Lannan, an eye- 
witness, is of considerable interest. It is as follows : 

The English and French had declared war upon the unfortunate Celestials, 
and their war vessels blockaded the commerce of the river. It was only a few 
days after our arrival that the gun boats bombarded the five forts defending 
the entrance to the capital. We were non-combatants, as the Chinese, not- 
withstanding that they had refused to treat with the English and French, were 
content to sign our treaty and pay the indemnity demanded for the destruction 
of property belonging to American citizens in China. Our ship was astern of 
the blockading squadrons, and although the battle haze somewhat obscured 
the view, we were still able to watch the Europeans shell and storm the forts. 
One incident is particularly impressed upon my memory. While the storming 
party was attacking one fort, the magazine exploded and killed a great number 
of the fighting men. The scene was an extraordinary one. After this battle 
was terminated in an overwhelming victory for the Europeans, the treaty with 
our country was signed and we steamed away for Shanghai and went thence to 
Bombay, Muscat, Singapore, and home to Boston. 

The Minnesota did not sail altogether in summer seas. She 
encountered many severe storms, but one of them was particu- 
larly disastrous to the frigate. Here is Mr. Lannan's description 
of it: 

While we were in the Chinese Sea we encountered one of those terrible 
typhoons which, when survived, form an epoch in a man's life. The terror o( 
the warring elements upon even the most courageous is overwhelming; the 
uselessness of anything mortal seeking to struggle against the sweep of 
that terrible hurricane, which even blows the sea into the flatness of a lake, 



180 OUR POLICE. 

is so manifest, that it makes the instinct of self-preservation sink for a time 
into forgetfulness. The storm came gradually. "We could see the waves 
which the wind had beaten into a foam approaching us with the speed 
of race horses. On came the hurricane roaring upon the surface of the 
ocean, screaming and howling through the counter-currents overhead. Ab- 
solute darkness was about us, save for that dreadful line of foam. With 
the howl of a demon it was upon us. We heard an ominous creaking 
and groaning below deck. The main-mast had been started in its steps. 
There was danger of it going adrift in the hold and smashing the engines, or 
going overboard and fouling the screw with its rigging. The danger was too 
immediate to be trifled with, and all hands were ordered to " Save Ship." 
There amid the howling tempest the brave men worked to defeat the storm. 
After a struggle, the like of which I have never seen equalled, a hitch was 
taken, more as a last chance than with great hope of it being useful, from the 
swaying main-mast to the capstan fore and aft, and thus steadied the enormous 
spar. This precaution was effective. It saved the ship and our lives. 

Upon reaching Boston, young Lannan was honorably dis- 
charged from the service. But the restlessness which is brought 
by an experience at sea had gained possession of the young man, 
and he made up his mind to go to the far West. He started in 
1859 and went overland to California. Some time afterward 
he went to Nevada and remained there until 1865. Return- 
ing East, by way of the Isthmus of Panama, he resumed his 
trade in Philadelphia and finally got back to Baltimore. In 
1869 Mr. Lannan made an application to be appointed as 
patrolman on the police force, and President Jarrett, with his 
colleagues in the police board, Commissioners Carr and Fussel- 
baugh, assigned him to the Western District. His first patrol 
duty was on October 21, of that year. 

Mr. Lannan's advancement has been as rapid as his services 
to the city have been honorable. He was promoted to be 
sergeant on June 1, 1870, and secured his lieutenant's shoulder- 
straps on June 6, 1872. He was on April 8, 1874 promoted 
to the command of the Northwestern District and was transferred 
to the Central District on October 18, 1874. He was reappointed 
captain on April 8, 1878 and April 8, 1882, and was advanced 
to the position which he now fills on October 15, 1885. 

Since the day, when as patrolman, Mr. Lannan first assumed 
the duties of a member of the force he has been exceptionally 



OUR POLICE. 181 

active. During the first two years, the evil characters learned 
to avoid his post, especially after two important arrests which 
he made in 1871. One was of a highway robber who forfeited 
his bail before trial and ran away, and the other of a burglar 
who afterward spent some time in prison before he was released 
on a technicality. In the early part of 1872, the police were 
informed of a large number of robberies being perpetrated in 
the residence districts of the city. Articles of value were 
missed from houses in the most mysterious fashion, and although 
the shrewdest detectives on the force were put upon the case, 
they failed to get the most insignificant clew. Sergeant Lannan, 
at about this time arrested Jennie Tyler, a colored woman, who 
had engaged as a domestic servant at No. 23 A North Carey 
street. The articles stolen from that house were traced to her, 
and for a time there was a general belief that she had committed 
the other robberies. She was sentenced to prison for fifteen 
months, but the robberies still went on. Shortly after this 
arrest, Sergeant Lannan was standing on a corner talking to 
patrolman Flannery and in the course of the chat he asked 
Flannery whether he had succeeded in getting any clews to the 
robberies, then the talk of the town. Flannery replied that he 
had not. Just then, Sergeant Lannan noticed a particularly fine 
looking colored girl, tastefully dressed, coming down the street. 
As she turned the corner her skirt attracted the sergeant's 
attention; it was decidedly fuller than customarily worn by women 
of her figure. 

His suspicion seemed worthy of investigation and the two police- 
men arrested her. They subsequently traced her to a house in 
Stockton alley, which was discovered to be the thief's storehouse. 
It was packed with stolen property, much of which the woman had 
never, apparently, taken any measures to dispose of. Some of 
this property was never identified. The woman's name proved to 
be Louisa Moore, and her thievings extended over a period of 
nearly eight months. Property was proved to have been stolen 
from Nos. 234 Lanvale street, 18-1 North Carey street, 209 North 
Carey street, 182 Lafayette avenue and 687 West Fayette snoot. 
Louisa was convicted of her crimes and sentenced to five years in 



182 OUR POLICE. 

the penitentiary. Subsequently the Sergeant arrested Josephine 
Hughes, another colored woman, for stealing valuable property 
from No. 41 North Gilmore street, while she was employed as a 
domestic and had her sent to the penitentiary for two years. 
Since then robberies by servants have been rare in this city. 

In all these cases the Sergeant was assisted by patrolman 
Flannery of the Western District. 

The next two cases in which Mr. Lannan was interested were 
made noteworthy by the fact that a gray coat played a particu- 
larly prominent part in the detection of the criminals. Joseph 
Harvey, a colored man of notoriously bad connections, broke into 
a residence at No. 551 Eutaw street on May 10, 1873, and stole 
much valuable property. Mr. Lannan, who had been promoted 
to be lieutenant by that time, undertook to discover who the cul- 
prit was. The burglar had been seen leaving the house by a 
citizen who remembered that he wore a gray coat of a peculiar 
pattern. Lieutenant Lannan and Sergeant Berger traced the 
fellow bv means of this coat. When tried he was also charged 
with having stolen the preceding year a large quantity of furs 
and other property during a fire in Clay street. He was sent 
to the penitentiary for four years. About a year after this 
the police were informed that a gray coated negro burglar was 
playing havoc in the Western District. Harvey had neither 
been pardoned nor freed in any other manner, and yet the new 
burglar's way of working was almost precisely the same as his. 
Again Lieutenant Lannan took charge of the case, and with 
patrolman Flannery's assistance " ran down " John Mitchell, a 
burglar and thief, whose record was even more villianous than 
Harvey's. The gray coat was the same one which had sent Harvey 
to the penitentiary. It had been given in charity to the negro 
after Harvey's sentence. Mitchell is now serving his fourth term. 

In November, 1874, the police were informed by the chief of 
police of Washington, D. C, that a bold attempt had been made 
to swindle the National Metropolitan Bank of that city by means 
of forged checks. The scheme was a clever one, and at that time 
comparatively new. The forger filled out the check and then left 
it at the office of the leading express company "for collection." 



OUR POLICE. 183 

This plan worked excellently for the forger, in one instance the 
order being cashed by the bank without hesitation. But the 
bank authorities were not long in discovering the swindle, and 
when other checks came they refused payment. The forger was 
warned, in some way, in ample time to get away from the capital 
and flee to Baltimore. Captain Lannan was given the case 
to work up. He and Sergeant Ryan, of the Central District, 
obtained an accurate description of the man in Washington, 
followed his " trail" to this city, and arrested him on the street. 
The forger was discovered to be James Maynard alias Frank 
McGuire, and was sent to the penitentiary for four years. 

In May, 1885, two notorious ruffians made their way to this 
city, after having committed crimes almost without number in the 
north. They had escaped from the New Jersey State Prison, 
and the authorities of that State offered a reward of $400 for 
their capture. They were both Germans and spoke but little 
English. The elder, Henry Schoppe alias Dorflinger, was a 
man of great physique ; the other, Frederick Buerder alias 
Phillip Barnhart, was smaller in stature, but equally desperate. 
Schoppe had twenty-nine years to serve in ISTew Jersey, and 
Buerder two-and-a-half years, when they escaped. They found 
the northern States too hot to hold them, and so they journeyed 
south. 

A very short time after this the police of this city were 
informed that Mr. Maccubbin's house in Howard County had 
been robbed of $600 worth of silverware, a wedding present. 
Mr. Maccubbin immediately offered a reward of $100 for its re- 
covery. Captain Lannan was inclined to think that the wcfrk 
had been done by "professionals," but as yet he had no idea of 
the escape or whereabouts of Schoppe and Buerder. The usual 
efforts had been made to secure clues, but without much success, 
when Sergeant Droste informed the Captain that a jeweler had 
shown him some silver knives which had been left at his place of 
business by a man who wanted to sell them, and who said that he 
would return for the jeweler's answer in a short time. The 
Captain at once suspected that he was getting something definite, 
and told Droste that he would hold the silverware, and that the 



184 OUR POLICE. 

best thing he (Droste) could do would be to go back to the 
jeweler and " nab" the man as soon as he returned. Droste 
did as he was directed, and this move led to the arrest of Schoppe 
and 'Buerder. But the men would not acknowledge that they 
had stolen the silverware. Captain Lannan, although he was 
certain that he had the Maccubbin burglars, could not see any 
way ahead of him to secure the stolen property. As he was 
walking along the street somewhat dejectedly he heard his name 
called from a street car. He saw a friend who showed him a 
circular which had been issued by the New Jersey authorities, 
giving an accurate description of his two prisoners as the men 
who had escaped. The thing was sufficiently sudden to be start- 
ling, and Captain Lannan went right back to the station. Calling 
Droste, he said : 

" I think we've got them. Bring in the men and I'll fix 
them." 

Droste brought the prisoners as his commander directed and 
Captain Lannan walked behind them and read the circular aloud. 
Its description was so accurate of Schoppe that he almost choked 
in his struggle to hide his emotion. Finally he turned to the 
captain, the latter said : 

" You two belong up in Jersey." 

The men made no attempt to deny this, and then Captain 
Lannan told them that it would be better for them to tell where 
they had secreted the silver and so escape punishment in Howard 
county than to stand trial, get sentenced there and after their 
term had ended go back to New Jersey and begin their confine- 
ment all over again. This they acknowledged to be wise and 
Buerder agreed to accompany the officers to Loudon Park Ceme- 
tery where he said the plunder was buried. The police depart- 
ment was disposed to be economical at that time, and Captain 
Lannan, Sergeant Droste and their prisoner took the street cars 
towards the cemetery. When they reached the end of the 
railway they had to walk about six miles under a broiling sun. 
The burglar seemed to be eager to tell where his plunder was, 
but for a time it seemed as though he had forgotten. Things 
were becoming rather discouraging when Captain Lannan saw 



OUR POLICE. 185 

a stripped sapling standing above a mound. It did not seem to 
be growing, so he went up to it and pulled it out. He saw in 
the hole, which proved to be the rotted stump of a big tree, 
something which resembled a valise. Kicking away the earth 
and rotted wood his suspicions were confirmed and he found a big 
bag containing the stolen silver. Thus were two notorious 
criminals who had escaped from a prison two hundred miles 
away captured by a policeman's sagacity, and a burglary made 
•comparatively harmless because of the discovery of the stolen 
property and the punishment of the criminals, for Schoppe and 
JBuerder were returned to their New Jersey prison. 

Very shortly after this crime Captain Lannan had occasion io 
exercise that detective instinct which he has so often used to such 
good purpose. Late one night the police received a telegraphic 
message from the Chief of Police of Scranton, Pa., asking for 
the arrest of one John Dougherty, for the murder of Michael 
McCoy, a mine boss's son, and for seriously injuring another 
man in the affray, which ended in the murder. The description 
of Dougherty was of the briefest, and the only reason the 
Scranton police had for believing Dougherty had come to this 
<jity was that he had purchased a ticket entitling him to come. 
The case was given to Detective Albert Gault, and he read the 
description to his former commander, Captain Lannan, at the 
€entral Station. The two policemen strolled over towards the 
Marshal's office from the Central Station, and as they passed the 
corner they noticed a number of boys standing in a crowd. 
There were several men looking at the lads. One of the crowd 
instantly attracted the captain's attention. He turned to Gault 
and said : 

"Well, Al, I guess there's your man." 

So far as the description went it tallied with the appearance of 
the loiterer. Soon the boys parted and the man walked slowly 
toward the two officers. Captain Lannan told Gault that he had 
better speak to him, and as the man got clear from the crowd 
Oault went up to him and held out his hand, saying : 

"Why Dougherty, how are you? " 



186 ' OUR POLICE. 

The man looked somewhat surprised for the moment and then 
answered with affected unconcern : 

" Oh, pretty well ; but who the deuce are you ? " 
" I keep a little shop in Scranton, you know," was Gault's 
reply, " and I have frequently seen you." 

Then followed a general conversation which concluded by 
Gault suggesting : . 

u That was a pretty bad row you got into in Scranton before 
you left. McCoy, the man you stabbed, is dead." 

Dougherty turned as pale as a sheet and exclaimed: "Good 
God ! you don't say so." 

Captain Lannan's instinct had not failed him. Gault's com- 
panion was the murderer. The man was taken to the Marshal's 
office and there awaited the arrival of the Scranton Chief of 
Police. He was subsequently convicted and sent to the Penn- 
sylvania state prison for a long term. 

In January, 1877, Thomas C. Walker, known as the "penny- 
weight thief," was arrested by Captain Lannan. The criminal 
had made attempts to rob almost every jewelry store in this city, 
and his endeavors were attended with considerable success. He 
was an expert in distinguishing gold of small alloy from baser 
combinations, and chose only the most desirable articles in the 
jeweler's stock. On January 31, he was sentenced to the peni- 
tentiary for five years. A trifle more than two years after this 
arrest Captain Lannan succeeded in arresting, single handed, 
Michael Troutwein, a notorious burglar and thief, who was 
charged with an attempt to rob a house at No. 110 Calvert streets 
Before Troutwein had succeeded in stealing anything he was 
discovered by the persons in the house, and locked in the room 
where he was found. Knowing that he was "cornered," he 
made desperate attempts to escape, breaking his way through the 
door by means of the heavy "jimmy" which he carried. When 
he was captured by Captain Lannan, the ruffian made a deter- 
mined fight, and it was only after extreme measures had been 
used that he was subdued. Troutwein is now in the penitentiary 
serving a term for burglary. In 1877 Captain Lannan made a 



OUR POLICE. 187 

still hunt for a silk burglar. The "crook" disappeared, but 
with Sergeant Bernhardt he unearthed a kit of burglars' tools, 
and its owners, George King alias Dunn and Joseph Myers, who 
had been brought here to do a special big "job." Maryland law 
requires that the intent be proven. The men were discharged, 
and they fled the city. 

Shortly after this the dry goods store of Whitelock Bros., in 
Aberdeen, Harford county, was entered one stormy night, and a 
large quantity of valuable property stolen. Private detectives 
were put upon the case, but while they confirmed the statement 
that something had been stolen, they were unable to discover 
any material clews. The burglars had become astonishingly 
reckless after they had committed the crime, and instead of 
endeavoring to confine their thievery to one place, they went to 
a farm-house in the same county, and there stole a horse and 
wagon, which they loaded with their booty. The impudence of 
the thieves aroused the interest of the entire State, and the police 
chief of this city was determined to ferret the rascals out, should 
they be bold enough to come to this county. Captain Lannan 
was sent for, and given the details of the burglary. In company 
with Sergeants Kirsch and Schimp, and Detective Gault, he 
traced the horse and wagon so successfully, and got such an 
accurate description of the men, that he soon "located" the 
rogues. After that it was comparatively easy work. Captain 
Lannan discovered that there were four negroes concerned in the 
crime, George Banks, William Sorrell, George Emerson, and 
Lewis Wells. When their houses were "spotted," some of the 
goods stolen from Whitelock Bros.' store was found, but the 
owners' marks had been obliterated, and the merchants said they 
could not positively identify them. Banks, however, the leader 
of the "gang," was tried and convicted, and when he saw that 
he was to be punished for his crime, despite his perjury, he ad- 
mitted his guilt, and in his confession he implicated the others. 
But Banks did not escape punishment because of his story. With 
the exception of Sorrell, these men were desperate criminals, 
who would stickle at nothing. They were imprisoned in the 
Harford County Jail, and attempted to escape by filing their 
irons. When the suspicions of the jailers were aroused, and 



188 OUR POLICE. 

Banks was asked to explain the condition of the handcuffs, he 
made the somewhat amusing excuse : 

" De rats has been gnawing dem ! " 

Banks was subsequently sent to the Penitentiary for twelve 
years. In 1854 he was sentenced to prison for seven years, and 
in 1857 he set fire to the weaving department of the institution. 
For this he was removed from immediate confinement, tried, 
convicted, and sentenced to be hanged. But the Governor 
■commuted this sentence to life imprisonment. In 1868 he 
was pardoned, and one year afterwards was caught in crime 
and sent to the Maryland Penitentiary for fifteen months. He 
was afterwards arrested in Cambridge, Dorchester County, 
but he escaped from prison by cutting the bars with tools his 
friends smuggled in to him. In 1871 he was again arrested and 
sent to the Penitentiary for two years. When he was once asked 
by Captain Lannan whether he had been actually guilty of every 
crime for which he had been punished, he replied with perfect 
frankness : 

" Yes, sir; ebery one." 

Bank's companions in the dry goods burglary are all dead. 
Emerson was killed in a Texas street-fight. 

In September, 1874, the dwelling districts of this city were 
kept in constant terror by the daring of an unknown negro thief 
who left no trace behind him in the houses he visited, and who 
never failed to select jewelry as his booty. This fellow's crimes 
became so widely spread that Captain Lannan determined to 
'•capture him, if possible, in the act. So, assisted by patrolmen 
Oostello and George Hays, of the Northwestern District, Captain 
Lannan " laid for him." The thief was in the habit of entering 
houses by the open windows, ransacking them and entering 
ladies' bed-rooms to steal whatever jewelry he found upon their 
dressing tables. He had already robbed No. 429 Madison ave- 
nue, No. 392 Eutaw place, No. 335 Linden avenue, No. 203 
Bolton street, and No. 404 Eutaw place. He had just got 
through his work in one of these places when the officers were 
upon him. He tried to defend himself, but the policemen drew 
their revolvers and threatened to kill him unless he surrendered. 



OUR POLICE. 189 

He gave his name as Isaac Durham ; he was sentenced to the 
Penitentiary for twenty years. 

This case had scarcely been disposed of when the captain's 
attention was demanded by an assault with intent to kill com- 
mitted by Joseph Katzenberger upon Daniel Connolly. The 
former stabbed the latter repeatedly and for a time it looked as 
if the wounded man would die. Katzenberger was arrested 
by the captain almost immediately after the assault and was sent 
to prison. He is now serving an eight year sentence for murder- 
ing a young girl named Barbara Miller. This murder was 
entirely unprovoked, Katzenberger stepping up to her and stick- 
ing a knife into her stomach. He said he was jealous of the 
girl. In September, 1875, Lewis Seymore, a negro, assaulted 
and killed Thomas Maxwell, also colored, because of jealousy. 
Captain Lannan took the case, which for a time was a somewhat 
mysterious one, and " ran down " the murderer with a prompt- 
ness which greatly added to his reputation as a detector of 
criminals. Seymore has served two terms in the Penitentiary. 

It was while Captain Lannan was in command of the Central 
District, in 1877, that the miners' trouble occurred. Certain 
classes in the city did not approve of the action of the Gover- 
nor in ordering Maryland troops to the scene of the disturbance, 
and many threats were made that no Baltimore militia would be 
allowed to leave any of the depots. The Sixth Regiment assem- 
bled in its armory at about 8 o'clock on July 20. The Central 
Police under Captain Lannan were out on post, and although he 
was continually receiving reports of the massing of the people 
along Baltimore street, and had taken precautions to avoid any 
disturbances in the crowd, he had no reason to expect the out- 
come of that terrible night. Suddenly a patrolman dashed into 
the police station and half-articulately reported : 

" They are stoning the Sixth's armory." 

Instantly in the Central Station all was in energetic prepar- 
ations for the worst ; the reserves were summoned and Captain 
Lannan with a few men went to the armory. When he saw 
the state of things there he made report to Marshal Gray and 
then returned, after seeking to stop reserves being sent to the 



190 OUR POLICE. 

Camden Station. Although Captain Lannan had asked the 
troops to wait until he could get sufficient men to open the crowd 
for them, the soldiers sallied forth, because of peremptory orders 
from the Brigadier- General. As Captain Lannan approached 
Baltimore street he heard the rattle of musketry and a soul- 
quavering cry of horror from the crowds gathered about the 
armorv at Front and Fayette streets, taken up, carried along and 
intensified into a roar of indignation by the crowd along the 
line of march, which was rapidly assuming the desperation of a 
mob. The report that the mob had attacked the armory was 
true, and the soldiery had fired upon their assailants, bringing 
death or severe injuries also to many peaceable citizens who had 
been attracted by simple curiosity. It was in this volley that 
Thomas V. Byrne, of No. 27-4 North Gay street was shot through 
the head and instantly killed. The fusilade had one effect, it 
prevented many persons going to Camden Station to add to the 
mob there. But men in the crowds lost all idea of how madly 
they were acting, and loudly threatened to burn the armory over 
the regiment's head. It was a grave moment for the men of the 
Central district. Within their precinct were the most valuable 
buildings, and a mob's wrath is blind, seeking appeasement in the 
torch and rope. 

But a diversion was soon caused by the sound of drums and 
fifes. Two companies of the Sixth regiment had left their armory 
and started down Front street. The mob was still an angry one, 
and it attacked the militiamen with brickbats and cobble stones. 
The soldiers showed patience with this madness of their fellow 
citizens. But at last, compelled in self-protection, they returned 
bullets for stones, firing indiscriminately upon the crowd. Then 
the Central Station gradually began to assume the appearance of 
a hospital. One by one, in couples, the wounded, dying and 
dead were brought in and laid upon the floor of the main room. 
A man who was shot at Grant and Baltimore streets was brought 
to the station with a big paving stone in his pocket, and had been 
seen to attack the militia. Patrick Gill, living at Front and 
Plowman streets, had been shot through the hips at Baltimore 
and Front streets, and died a few minutes after being taken to the 



OUR POLICE. 191 

Central Station. Louis Linewitch, Cornelius Murphy, William 
Howard, John H. Frank, Otto Menaca, George M. McDonald 
and John Reinhardt had been "killed by the militiamen's musketry 
along Baltimore street and between Front and St. Paul streets. 
They were all brought to Captain Lannan's station, and after 
being claimed by their friends, moved to their homes. The only 
body not claimed was that of Gill. He had no friends in this 
country. The wounded, Mark J. Doud, William S. Young, 
Jacob Wagner, W. E. Callender and John Neville, were subse- 
quently removed from the station to the Washington University. 
A wounded boy, named John North, was sent to his home at No. 
18 South Front street ; Carey Williams, who was fatally injured, 
wras taken to his home, No. 175 East Pratt street. James 
O'Rourke, of No. 19 Albemarle street, and George Klump, of 
No. 31 Forrest street, were also badly hurt and removed to their 
homes. William Brighton, of No. 38J North Baltimore street, 
was slightly wounded in his left cheek by a spent ball. Michael 
Ehrman, of No. 224 North Bond street, the last wounded man 
brought to Captain Lannan's station, was seriously hurt, but he 
afterwards recovered. For three days and nights Captain Lannan 
and his men were on duty, and they guarded the business part of 
the city. There again was the splendid organization of the police 
force shown. They withstood the severe strain of those three 
dreadful days without a murmur, and served as efficiently imme- 
diately after their vigil over the lives and property of the citizens, 
as they did before. 

There had been few robberies in the Central District for some 
time, and affairs were going along very smoothly, Captain 
Lannan congratulating himself that his efforts to clear out the 
" crooks" had met with success. November, 1884, however, 
brought about a new condition of things. Citizens of much promi- 
nence began calling at the Central station, and informing Captain 
Lannan that their houses had been entered during the night, 
and robbed of valuables. Efforts were immediately made to got 
full descriptions of the robbers from their victims, but with only 
negative results. Finally a card was found in the street, con- 
taining several memoranda, which were su££estive of its owner- 



192 OUR POLICE. 

ship by one of the robbers. The card was immediately given to 
Captain Lannan, and thus was furnished his first trustworthy 
clue. With the assistance of Sergeant Ryan, the captain made 
close investigation of the locality where the card was found; and 
finally, after unremitting work, located two persons, who seemed 
to be worthy of suspicion. But one of the suspected persons 
had apparently got warning that the police was on his track, for 
when, on the evening of November 29, Captain Lannan and Ser- 
geant Ryan arrested John Peters, alias George Lake, alias- 
George Durbee, they did not succeed in finding Peter's "pal," 
the notorious burglar, "Warren Clay. After Peters arrest, a gold 
watch and chain, which had been stolen from D. D. Mallory, 
who had been robbed of §200 worth of jewelry, was recovered. 

When Peters was photographed, and when he was told that 
his picture would be probably sent north, he first admitted the 
robbery, and then confessed that he and Clay had escaped 
from the Crow Hill penitentiary, in King's County, New York, 
where he (Peters) was serving a term of five years. His descrip- 
tion of his escape was vivid. A conspiracy had been entered 
into by several of the prisoners to "run the guards," and after 
reaching the East river, to take to boats during the night, and 
so escape to New York. The attempt was made. The prisoners, 
at their exercise hour, tried to overpower the keepers ; but the 
latter proved too strong for them. All the conspirators were 
captured save Peters and Clay, who broke through the guard, and 
got away, notwithstanding that the prison authorities opened 
a heavy fusilade upon them with their Winchester repeaters. 
The two men hid themselves in a barn some distance outside of 
Brooklyn, and remained secluded, dreading to make the slightest 
noise, for two days and nights. They extracted what sustenance 
they could out of the hay and oats in the barn ; and, then made 
desperate by the pangs of hunger, ventured forth into the night, 
to seek some means of crossing to New York. They found a 
skiff, but only one oar ; and with this they sought to paddle 
almost three-quarters of a mile against a swiftly flowing current. 
They discovered that they had undertaken to do more than they 
could earry out, and they succeeded, after almost perishing from 



OUR POLICE. 193 

their exertions in their half-starved condition, to paddle back to 
shore. Finally, with the assistance of friends, they made the 
attempt again, and reached New York, whence, provided with 
money and clothing, they came to this city prepared for new 
crimes. Peters was sentenced to seven years in the penitentiary, 
from which he has made two desperate but unsuccessful attempts 
to escape. 

Hardly five months had elapsed since Peters was captured 
when dwellings were entered in various parts of this city and 
valuable property stolen. Reports of burglaries came streaming 
in to the police, until it was concluded that a band of criminals 
from some northern town was "working" Baltimore. Finally 
the Marshal issued instructions that every man on the force 
should regard himself as personally responsible for the capture 
of the offender, whether his depredations were confined in one 
district or seven. The number of robbed dwellings had reached 
thirty-eight, when Sergeant Clautice and Patrolman R. Brown 
reported to Captain Lannan that they had a clue and, they 
thought, a good one. They described their man as a negro of 
medium height, dressed so shabbily as to be conspicuous. They 
declared that he avoided all companions, had made but one friend, 
and certainly had no "pal." Captain Lannan instructed Clau- 
tice and- Brown to "shadow" the fellow. Then they reported 
that he was either the shrewdest or most honest negro they ever 
met, for he drank nothing, showed no jewelry and had offered 
nothing for sale. Meanwhile the robberies continued. 

On April 19, Captain Lannan sent for a man who was to 
become acquainted with the only person with whom the suspected 
negro was known to associate, and gave him his instructions. 
The very next day the captain got positive information from his 
decoy that the " suspect" was doing the stealing and that he sold 
his plunder to one Harris Weinbaum. Captain Lannan and Ser- 
geant Toner went down to Weinbaum 's place and made an inspec- 
tion of it. The former detailed Sergeant Ryan to watch the re- 
ceiver's house while Toner kept surveillance over the suspected 
man, who by that time was known to be Robert Butler. On April 
23, Toner captured Butler after a desperate resistance and found 



194 OUR POLICE. 

the proceeds of a robbery still in his possession. When the 
prisoner was brought to the Central Station, Captain Lannan 
went immediately to Butler's room and there found sufficient 
evidence to convict him of four robberies. When Weinbaum's 
house was searched a great quantity of stolen goods was recovered. 
Both Butler and Weinbaum were convicted and sentenced to long 
terms of imprisonment in the Penitentiary. In July, 1887, Wein- 
l>aum having grown to be nearly eighty years of age and very 
feeble, the Governor responded to the importunities of his friends 
and pardoned him, upon their promise that they would remove 
him from the State at once and not suffer him to return until the 
time of his sentence of twenty-one years had expired. For this 
excellent piece of detective work the Board of Police Commis- 
sioners awarded two weeks' extra pay to Captain Lannan, Ser- 
geants Toner and Clautice and Patrolman Richard Brown. 

The relations which existed between Captain Lannan and the 
officers and men of the Central District were so pleasant that 
when their commander was promoted to be Deputy-Marshal, the 
force determined to make him a present which would additionally 
impress upon him the love and esteem with which they regarded 
him. So on the eve of his accession of his new office the men of 
the Central District presented Deputy-Marshal Lannan with a 
badge of office. It is of gold and represents a buckled ribbon 
about a star. Upon the ribbon are the words " Deputy Mar- 
shal of Police." The ribbon contains twelve large diamonds 
and the central star fifteen more. The centre of the star is a 
diamond weighing nearly three karats. Deputy-Marshal Lannan 
always wears this badge, by permission of the Police Board, 
because of his appreciation of the esteem with which his assistants 
regard him. 

Not long after Mr. Lannan was appointed Deputy Marshal, 
he became interested and took a personal part in one of the most 
fiendish crimes ever committed in this city. It had been one of 
the most unpleasant days of the winter. The storm of rain, 
sleet, and snow began Thursday night and continued throughout 
Friday, December 10, 1886. The policemen on their beats 
anxiously awaited the relief; persons who were compelled to 



OUR POLICE. 195 

travel from one place to another dodged the fierce blast of the 
wind and turned their heads from the skurrying sleet and snow. 
Pig alley was almost blocked by the storm. The tumble-clown 
shanties were whitened by the snow, and the smoke which arose 
from the chimney of Mary Bloxom's house had no sooner 
escaped from the flue, than it was beaten down again into the 
miserable rooms beneath. The dusk is not long coming in De- 
cember. On that Friday it fell like a pall upon Baltimore, 
blotting out, with the aid of the driving snow, most of the big 
monuments which tower from the hills in the heart of the city, 
and making the slums places of dread even to their most confirmed 
denizens. In the big room on the lowest floor of Mary Bloxom's 
house sat a white woman nearly sixty years old, mumbling to 
herself about her hard life and that " bad un, the big un." The 
woman was clad in a dark dress on whose skirt was sewed a piece 
of red flannel, making a combination which was somewhat curious. 
As she kept on mumbling about the " big un " a tap came on the 
door and a rather pretty little colored girl entered and running 
towards the old woman said : 

"Aunt Emmy, me an mammy is going out for while. Do you 
want your baccy ? " 

The old woman nodded, and taking the plug in her right hand 
she proceeded leisurely and musingly to cut it up. The little 
girl had departed. Old Emmy was alone again, and once more 
she began to mutter to herself and then to shiver in an uncanny 
sort of way as though " some one was" walking over her grave." 
Finally her head bent lower and she half whispered : " I feel 
nasty — I wish some of the boys would come home." Still she 
continued crumbling her tobacco and so she did not notice that 
the door was open and a powerfully built negro had entered. 
The stranger carried a long handled hammer in his hand and 
moved stealthily. The rickety old floor creaked and the woman 
nodded her head lower, murmuring : " This place is overrun." 

The negro had dealt his blow. The heavy weapon had 
descended on the old woman's head, and she staggered under the 
shock, her gray head hanging towards her left shoulder. She 
shrieked : 



196 OUR POLICE. 

" For God's sake, John, don't do that ! " 

But down rained the blows until the gray hairs were driven 
into the brain and one side of the head was as a jelly. Then the 
lifeless body fell to the floor, and the ruffian kneeling beside it 
drew a knife which he plunged twice into the left breast in the 
region of the heart. The fearfully mutilated head gave one or 
two turns upon the bare floor and silence came. 

But the murderer did not pause. He bundled the body into 
the closet, drew a mattrass over it and set about cleaning up the 
stains. A knock came upon the door and it was opened. A 
middle-aged negro woman entered and asked : 

" Wy, sonny, what's matter ?" 

" Nose bloodin. Get out o' here — you," was the reply. 

The woman went away and the murderer continued his work. 
Soon he left the room, but In about three hours returned carry- 
ing a bag beneath his arm. Dragging the bodv from its place of 
concealment he stuffed the still quivering trunk and limbs within 
the bag and dragging it towards the door opened it. 

" Hawkins, Hawkins," he whispered. 

" Yaas, John," came the reply. " Did yer get her ?" 

"Yaas, she's in de bag." 

The two negroes then tossed the ghastly load upon a wheel- 
barrow and began to wheel it down the alley. Scarcely had they 
gone more than a hundred paces when the man called Hawkins 
dropped his handle, exclaiming : 

" No more o' dat fur me. TVheel it y ousel'." 

The younger man uttered an expression of disgust at his com- 
panion's cowardice and went on with his load, Hawkins leading by 
some paces as a look-out, watching for the appearance of police- 
men on their beats. The storm grew more severe and beat in 
the negroes' faces, covering their clothing and the bag which 
hid such a terrible crime with the purest white. Then the men 
left the sidewalk and chose the railway track. Even the wheeler 
of the barrow began to get nervous, and when Hawkins waved 
his hands in warning, the former allowed the barrow to give a 
lurch, and over went the burden of crime into the street. There 
was nothing to be done but to load up again, and there in the 



OUR POLICE. 197 

midst of the city the two fiends lifted the still bleeding form, 
and tossed it like a load of potatoes upon the barrow. Again 
the terrible journey was resumed. The murderer was the porter 
of his victim's body and Hawkins still led the way, waving a 
white handkerchief when he saw the way was clear. 

Through the blinding rush of snow and sleet a big building 
loomed up ; it was that of the Maryland University College, at 
Green and Lombard streets. A stop was made here and again 
the murderer sought to induce his companion to lend a hand. 

u No;" replied Hawkins, " I won't have nudding to do wif it; 
do it yousel'." 

The narrow alley which led to the rear door of the College 
was choked with snow which had drifted high against the build- 
ings on either side. The murderer slung the form of his victim 
over one shoulder, and with the perspiration from his long porter- 
age streaming from his brow and steaming from his clothing he 
went to the college door and knocked. 

A villainous looking negro appeared and saluted the murderer 
with : 

" Hello, John Thomas ; have you got it ?" 

The dreadful burden was shifted from the murderer's shoulders 
to the floor of the dissecting-room ; the murderer asked when he 
should' receive the reward for bringing a body for dissection 
($15), and was told " to-morrow noon," and the door closed on 
the man who had had an experience the like of which should 
have been sufficient to have made the hardest heart quiver with 
horror and the dullest imagination people itself with demons. 

There lay the body of the murdered woman, and Perry, the 
dissecting-room attendant, who had received ^it at the door stood 
over it. The form was stripped and the head shaved to prevent 
identification, then the body was placed on the floor to remain 
throughout the night. As the hours passed away huge rats 
came from their hiding-places and gnawed the left side of the 
face of the dead, so that even though the head had not been 
shaved, it would in all likelihood been unrecognizable. When 
the morning came, Perry returned and prepared the remains for 
the hands of the demonstrator. He cut open the chest tor the 



198 OUR POLICE. 

purpose of injecting the embalming fluid. With the crushed 
head, the gnawing of the rats, the shaving of the body and the 
work of the embalmer's knife had fled almost every possibility of 
ever identifying the remains. 

At about 11 o'clock on Saturday morning Marshal Frey and 
Deputy-Marshal Lannan were seated in their office at police head- 
quarters. The doorman disturbed their conversation by announc- 
ing Dr. Harlan, the demonstrator of the college. The physician 
addressed the Marshal, informing him that a body had been 
brought the night before to his institution which bore marks suf- 
ficient to cause very grave suspicions. Dr. Harlan then pro- 
ceeded to describe the corpse. It had been received by Ander- 
son Perry. All this information was sent by the Marshal to the 
Western District, through Detective Seibold, to Captain Cadwal- 
lader, and the latter was instructed to have the body of the mur- 
dered woman taken to the station and there facilities prepared for 
its identification. Police were scouring the city for clues but 
without result, and so the case practically rested until Sunday, 
when the officers of the Western District found a little girl 
named Sarah Bloxom, daughter of the woman who kept the house 
on Pig alley. The little girl was taken to the station and there 
positively identified the body of the murdered woman as that of 
Emily Brown. The clothing, particularly the dark skirt with a 
red flannel patch the little girl was sure of. She said that An- 
derson Perry had lived in the same house with the woman, and 
that on Friday morning the latter had cooked his breakfast for 
him. Perry was promptly arrested by Sergeants Tierney and 
Henneman of the Western District and taken to the Marshal's 
office. When he arrived he was asked if he knew the man or 
men who brought the body to him. He declared that it was. 
brought by an unknown negro who wore a low brown hat ; 
farther than that he would say nothing. After he had been 
again urged to tell what he knew of the crime, he peremptorily 
refused, and was taken by the Marshal to the Central station. 
Afterward, however, the Marshal directed Deputy-Marshal Lan- 
nan to see what he could get out of the negro. The latter 
approached him and said : 



OUR POLICE 19$ 

" Perry, neither the Marshal nor myself believe a word you have 
said. You know there isn't a colored man in town who would 
carry a dead body through the streets at night for the purpose 
of selling it unless he had made arrangements beforehand." 

But the negro would say nothing. "Lock him up," said the 
Deputy-Marshal to the turnkey of the Central Station, " and if 
he wants to see me, send for me." Hours elapsed, and Perry sat 
in his cell meditating over the incidents of the awful crime in 
which he was involved. He called the turnkey and sought to 
get some encouragement from him. It was no use, for the Mar- 
shal had given strict injunctions to refrain from conversing with 
the negro. Finally he asked the turnkey : 

" Think I want to see Mr. Lannan." 

" What do you want?" said the turnkey. 

" I want to see 'im," was the reply. 

"All right." 

Deputy-Marshal Lannan had just seated himself at dinner when 
a patrolman from the Central Station called on him and told him 
Perry wanted to see him. The Deputy rushed post-haste to the 
cell of the refractory negro, and inquired : 

a Perry, did you wish to see me ? " 

"Yaas, sir." 

" We'll, who brought the body to you ? " 

" Have you got John Thomas Ross ? " 

" I don't know," was Mr. Lannan's evasive reply. " I think 
they have got some one up at the Western, but whom, I don't 
know. Who is John Thomas Ross ? " 

" Why, he's Mary Bloxom's son by another husband. He 
did the old woman." 

This was startling information, and Perry was hustled into a 
private room in the Central Station, and there told the same 
story to Marshal Frey. Then Deputy-Marshal Lannan was 
directed to take charge of any further work on the outside. It 
was then that his long experience as a detective came into play. 
The thing was to find the man accused by Perry. There are 
sources of information always kept open by the police, and some 
of these were used by Mr. Lannan. He heard that Ross was 



200 OUR POLICE. 

friendly with a woman living in the upper part of the city, and 
hoped to find him there, but he was not inclined to go to this 
place first until he had exhausted all other means, for should 
the man not be found there then, he might alarm the criminal 
.and cause him to flee the city. He had asked Perry where 
Ross was in the habit of drinking, and learned that he some- 
times went to a certain negro boarding-house up town. Dep- 
uty-Marshal Lannan, accompanied by Captain Cadwallader and 
Detectives Seibold, O'Neil and Droste, went to the place, and 
there, after sharp questioning, learned that Ross and a man 
named Hawkins had been coming in and going out of the place 
•all day. They had taken very many drinks. But Ross was not 
ihere then. He had left before sundown. 

" But," said the lodging-house keeper, " Hawkins is up-stairs 
now, I guess." 

Another trail was struck. At first it seemed good policy not 
to alarm Hawkins, so that when Ross returned he would suspect 
nothing and both men could be captured together. But the risk 
of delay was too great. Immediate action was necessary. Mr. 
Lannan and Captain Cadwallader concluded to arrest him. The 
former said, "Go up-stairs and tell Hawkins a man wants to 
see him." 

Soon Hawkins appeared. He was in his shirt sleeves and Mr. 
Lannan was standing under a gas lamp. Hawkins went up to 
Captain Cadwallader and inquired : " That's Captain Lannan, 
ain't it?" When informed his visitor was that officer, Hawkins 
made no effort to escape, but went up to him and said : 

" Well, Cap, what can I do fur you ?" 

"Where is John Thomas Ross ?" 

" Dunno," was the surly reply. 

" Take him to the Western," promptly ordered the Deputy- 
Marshal, and Seibold took the hand-cuffed negro to the lock-up. 
Meanwhile the city was being thoroughly searched under the 
Marshal's directions for the fugitive. ' As Mr. Lannan had made 
up his mind to go to Ross's friend's house, a patrolman came 
running towards him exclaiming : 

"We've got John Thomas Ross for you !" 



OUR POLICE. 201 

Meanwhile the officers who had been scouring the city in belief 
that they were on the murderer's trail hatl returned towards the 
lodging-house where he was expected to meet Hawkins. Be- 
neath the light of a street lamp, a square away from the place, 
the officers saw the assassin standing waiting for his friend's 
return. He was captured according to Mr. Lannan's orders, 
after a slight resistance, by O'Neill, Droste and Seibold, and 
taken to the police headquarters. Nothing was said to him until 
he arrived at the Marshal's office, where he finally confessed to 
the Marshal and O'Neill after he had been confronted by Perry. 
It was hard work to get his story. First he declared that "we" 
— meaning his accomplices — had agreed to stick by each other 
through thick and thin. Then he thought he would confess to 
the Marshal, but he changed his mind several times before he 
told this story: 

" For three weeks before the murder Uncle Perry (Anderson 
Perry) was continually after me to do up Miss Emma. I told 
bim I wanted no part in the affair. Shortly after Uncle Perry 
first spoke to me upon the subject I was standing on the corner 
near my house when Uncle Perry came up to me and invited me 
to drink. I accepted, and while we were at the bar Uncle 
Perry said: 'Why don't you do that job?' I said: ' Go 'way, 
Uncle Perry, 'taint for me.' Then he said : ' Man alive ! You 
-can do it mighty easy.' I said: 'Don't say any more, Uncle 
Perry.' After this he left me and I went off to do odd jobs for 
white folks. The next morning Uncle Perry met me at about 
the same place and repeated his request of the day before. He 
said I could make the money ($15 for the old woman's body) 
easily, and I should not hesitate about the matter. I again told 
him it was no use ; I had never done anything of that kind before 
and he was only wasting his time with me. ' Have you had your 
morning nip ?' he then asked me. I answered no ; but I added 
that I expected to get a drink as soon as I had performed some 
work assigned me. 'Oh come on and take a drink with me,' he 
continued, 'and you will feel better.' I consented, and we ad- 
journed to a saloon where I suppose I must have drunk as many 
as twelve whiskeys ; at any rate I know I was drunk when T got 



202 OUR POLICE. 

on the street. With each drink Uncle Perry asked me to do 
this job and with each drink I refused. This was on the day 
that the old -woman was done away with. Uncle Perry made 
me take a walk with him, and when we returned to the saloon 
he gave me another drink, after which we adjourned to the street 
again and moved in the direction of Mrs. Bloxom's house. Just 
as we got in front of the house Uncle Perry said : ' Go on, boy,, 
and do the business.' I asked him why he did not do the busi- 
ness himself, and his answer was : ' I'm too old, but,' he added, 
1 when I was your age I always had a hundred dollars in my 
pocket, and you can have the same amount now if you will keep 
a club.' 'What will I do with a club, Uncle Perry,' I asked. 
•Why, just loaf around the University late at night, and tap 
some old drunken man on the head, and then sell his body to the 
doctors.' ' : 

%i Did he say he had ever done such a thing?" inquired the 
Marshal and Deputy-Marshal, almost in one breath. 

'•He 'lowed me to believe that he had," Ross replied. Then 
he continued : " This talk was near the Bloxom house, and when 
we had finished, Uncle Perry again urged me to do up the old 
woman. He explained that it would be all over in a minute and 
then I could get the money. I stooped down, picked up a brick 
lying in front of me and went into Miss Emma's room. She was 
sitting down. I ran up behind her and, without saying a word, 
struck her in the temple with the brick I held in my hand. [It 
was brought out at the trial that Ross had used a hammer.] Then 
I left the house and Hawkins went in. If it had not been for 
Uncle Perry I would not have been here now. He is to blame 
for it all." 

Such was the result of Marshal Frey's and Deputy-Marshal 
Lannan's night's work. They had captured all three of the 
murderers within what was comparatively a marvelous short time. 

Ross was brought to trial in the Criminal Court before 
Judge Duffy and was promptly -convicted of murder in the 
first degree. He was sentenced to be hanged, but his counsel, 
who had displayed great activity and astuteness during the trial, 
succeeded in getting a stay and carried the case to the Court of 



OUR police. 203 

Appeals on their exceptions. Perry elected to be tried without a 
jury. Judge Duffy found the evidence against him insufficient to 
convict, and he was released. Then an order of nolle pros- 
equi was entered in the case of Hawkins, because the evidence 
upon which he was held was the same as that which had failed 
to convict Perry. 

The Court of Appeals refused to reverse the action of the lower 
Court, and the duty of signing Ross' death warrant was performed 
by Governor Lloyd on July 7, 1887. 

Some persons in Baltimore who had interested themselves in 
the murderer's behalf, prepared an application to the Governor 
for a commutation of the death sentence, and on the day upon 
which the death warrant was signed, city missionary James 
Freeman called at the executive mansion and presented the peti- 
tion to Governor Lloyd. It bore the signatures of about 250 
business men and others in Baltimore. Among the signers were 
Sanders & George, Gilpin, Langdon & Co., W. K. Carson, Swin- 
dell Bros, and J. Q. A. Herring. The petition stated that "We, 
the undersigned, petition your Excellency to commute the death 
sentence of Ross, the colored man sentenced by his Honor Judge 
Duffy to be hung, to imprisonment in the penitentiary for life? 
as we believe it would be unfair to hang him and let his com- 
panions in crime go free." When Governor Lloyd told the mis- 
sionary that the fatal document had already been signed, the 
latter remarked that in presenting the petition he had done his 
duty, and withdrew. 

The following day Sheriff Fledderman received a portentous 
looking package closed with the great seal of the State. It con- 
tained the Governor's command that the sentence of the court 
of justice be executed in the case of John Thomas Ross. The 
sheriff repaired at once to the city jail. He was accompanied 
by his deputies Davis and Eggleston. Warden John Waters 
received the solemn party. Dr. W. W. White, physician to the 
jail was present. Ross was conducted from his cell to the Board 
room by chief deputy Charles F. Edwards and deputies Warner, 
Dwyer, Stanton, Carter, Hasson and Darling. 

"Are you John Thomas Ross?" asked the sheriff. 



204 OUR POLICE. 

"Yes, sir," was the reply. 

"You have been tried by a jury of your countrymen, found 
guilty and sentenced to be hanged, and now it devolves upon me 
to read the death sentence and hereafter to execute it as sheriff 
of Baltimore city. I ask you to listen carefully and weigh every 
word that I shall read. The warrant is as follows : 

"Whereas, John Thomas Ross, colored, was convicted in the 
Criminal Court of Baltimore at the September term, in the year 
one thousand eight hundred and eighty-six of murder in the first 
degree of Emma Brown ; and whereas, the said court sentenced 
him to be hung by the neck until he be dead ; now, therefore, 
these are to will and require, as also to charge and command you, 
that, at or before the hour of two o'clock P. M. on Friday, the 
twenty-sixth day of August next you take the said John Thomas 
Ross from your prison and him safely convey to the gallows in 
the city aforesaid, the place of the execution of malefactors, 
and then and there the said John Thomas Ross hang by the neck 
nntil he be dead. For all which this shall be your sufficient 
power and authority. Given under my hand and the great seal 
of the State of Maryland, at the City of Annapolis, on this 
seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord 1887, and of the 
independence of the United States the one hundredth and twelfth. 

"HENRY LLOYD. 

" By the Governor. 

" E. W. LeCompte, Secretary of State" 

Sheriff Fledderman folded the paper with a nervous sigh. 
During the reading of the document Ross fixed his eyes intently 
upon the great red seal of the State of Maryland. He seemed 
deeply impressed. Although he exhibited no emotion there was 
an entire absence of that levity which had hitherto characterized 
the prisoner's conduct. 

A solemn pause followed the reading of the death warrant. 
Finally the sheriff turned again to Ross and advised him to give 
up all hopes in this life and throw himself upon the counsels of 
his spiritual advisers. The negro nodded his head thoughtfully. 



OUR POLICE. 205 

He had seen several ministers, including the Rev. James T. 
Jardnier, a Catholic priest. 

Warden Waters and the sheriff then assured Ross that they 
would do anything in their power to add to his comfort. He 
asked that his friends be allowed to see him, and the request was 
granted. 

As the fatal day approached, the interest taken by many sym- 
pathetic people in the condemned negro greatly increased. 
Continued efforts to save him from the gallows were made. 
Finally Dr. John Morris, a well-known physician, having em- 
phatically expressed his belief in Ross's mental weakness, the 
Governor was persuaded to grant a reprieve of two weeks to permit 
of an examination of the prisoner by competent experts in insanity. 
Several of Baltimore's foremost physicians were called upon to 
make the examination. The result was far from favorable to Dr. 
Morris' theory, the general opinion being that Ross was a negro 
of more than average intelligence. At learning the result of the 
investigation, the Governor made it known that he could hold out 
no further hope of reprieve, and at seventeen minutes of one 
o'clock on Friday afternoon, September 9, 1887, the burker was 
swung from the gallows in the yard of the Baltimore city jail. 
The execution was a seven days' wonder throughout Maryland, 
and was then forgotten. 

A few years since, a contemplated raid upon the Baltimore 
banks by some professionals of the first class was frustrated 
through the keenness and decision of Mr. Lannan. It was a 
bright autumn morning in 1879. The air was crisp and invig- 
orating, and just keen enough to keep pedestrians moving 
rapidly. A busy throng hurried back and forth through the 
labyrinth of streets in what is known as the " banking quarter " of 
Baltimore. At the corner of South and Baltimore streets a few 
lingered for a moment to glance at the bulletin board in front of 
the Sun office, and then hastened on again about their business, 
John Lannan, who was at that time captain of the Central police 
district, was making his accustomed tour through the banking 
quarter. Many gave a smile or nod of recognition as they passed 
his well-known athletic form and thoughtful face. In front of the 



206 OUR POLICE. 

South street side of the Sun office the captain saluted veteran 
policeman "Joe " Burnett. The latter was standing on the outer 
edge of the sidewalk with folded arms and lowered head, con- 
templatively glancing from under his gray eyebrows at all that 
passed. 

" Good morning, captain," spoke the policeman, as he returned 
his superior's salute. 

"Anything to report?" asked the captain. 

"Well — no, except that I don't like the looks of those two fel- 
lows down in front of the Franklin bank," replied the officer, 
turning his head in the opposite direction as he spoke. Burnett 
had been on that post for nearly twenty-five years, and he was 
acquainted with every face that did business in South street. A 
stranger was always more or less an object of suspicion to him. 

Captain Lannan glanced down the street. Two men were 
standing in front of the Franklin bank, apparently reading a 
newspaper. To get a closer look at the men the captain saunt- 
ered down past them. As he did so he noticed that the 
paper in their hands was a New York daily. He also noticed 
that instead of reading the paper, which they held before their 
eyes, they were talking rapidly and gazing acutely at some of 
the buildings in the neighborhood. But more than this, there 
was something familiar about the countenance of the older of the 
men which caused the captain's mind to run back over the array 
of photographs in the rogue's gallery at headquarters. After 
passing a short distance beyond the strangers Captain Lannan 
turned and walked by them again. They saw him coming and 
turned their faces away. At the sight of the side face of the man 
who had attracted his attention before, an expression of recog- 
nition passed over the captain's countenance. He walked up to 
policeman Burnett, who still stood at the corner, apparently look- 
ing in every direction except at the two strangers. 

"They're up to something, Joe," said the captain, "and I 
think they know we've been watching them. Walk slowly 
around the corner so as not to excite their suspicion, and then 
hurry to headquarters and send around a man in citizen's clothes." 

The policeman had scarcely moved off to obey the order when 



OUR POLICE. 207 

the two strangers suddenly folded up their paper and came toward 
the corner. They brushed by the Captain, who pretended to 
pay no attention to them, and turned up Baltimore street. Let- 
ting them get about half a square ahead, Captain Lannan placed 
himself in the midst of a little crowd of people moving in the 
same direction and followed them. At Calvert street they stopped 
a moment. It was evident that they knew they were being 
watched. Suddenly the younger of the pair started to rapidly 
cross Baltimore street, going diagonally back in the direction of 
North street. The Captain's first impulse was to step out and 
stop him, but on second thought it occurred to him that this was 
probably what the fellow wanted, and that he was trying to let 
his companion, who was the one the Captain noticed at first, slip 
away. In this case it was likely that any incriminating evidence 
in the possession of the two was on the person of the older 
man. The latter by this time had also started to cross Baltimore 
street, going up Calvert street. Captain Lannan hastened to 
follow and arrived at the corner just in time to see him disappear 
into a hotel. The Captain passed on to the corner of Fayette 
and Calvert streets. Here he stopped and watched the doorway 
into which his man had gone. As he did so the younger one 
suddenly passed him, coming up from behind and brushing 
against his arm. 

Seeing detective Pontier approaching at this moment, Captain 
Lannan still made no effort to detain the fellow, for being in 
uniform he would have created excitement had he made an ar- 
rest : then, too, he desired to locate the men's lodgings and 
examine their effects, if possible. The younger man walked on 
and entered the same doorway through which his companion had 
gone. 

" Do you see that man ?" asked the Captain of Pontier as he 
pointed quickly to the young fellow who was at that moment 
turning into the building into which he went. Detective Pon- 
tier saw him. 

"Well, go in there and arrest him and whomever he is talk- 
ing with. I'll wait here until you come out and see that you get 
the right parties.'' 

A few minutes later the detective emerged from the building 
with the two men in custody. They were brought to head- 



208 OUR POLICE. 

quarters. On the person of the older man were found various 
memoranda concerning the location of several of the principal 
Baltimore banks. The younger man gave his name as Randolph 
Smythe and the other as Charles Adams. They were stopping 
at a first-class hotel. Their room being searched, documents were 
found which indicated that a plan was on foot to rob one or more 
banks in this city, and it was discovered that ''Adams" was none 
other than the notorious Langdon "W. Moore, the bank burglar. 

Moore and some of his confederates had formed the plan for 
robbing the banks, and had applied to Smythe, who was a well- 
known "speculator," for the necessary capital to carry their 
schemes into effect. The latter had come to Baltimore, and was 
looking over the ground before embarking his money in the enter- 
prise. As no burglars tools were found in the thieves' posses- 
sion, and no crime could be proven against them, the police could 
do nothing further than to send them out of the city. 

Moore is at the present time serving a sentence of sixteen years 
in the Concord, Mass., State prison, the result of a trial which 
took place a few months after his arrest in Baltimore. His con- 
viction was for robbing the post-office at Charlestown, Mass. 

The story of Moore's career is most varied and interesting. 
He was born in 1830 in a New Hampshire village. His father 
was a farmer in moderate circumstances. His family moved to 
East Boston when the boy was fifteen years old. After receiving 
a good education he went to work at the age of twenty years in 
a currying establishment, and afterwards in a boot and shoe store 
on Pearl street. In about four years he succeeded in getting 
enough capital to start a grocery store in South Boston. After 
three years more he sold out this place and opened another on 
Eutaw street. Finding this second venture an unprofitable one 
he paid all his creditors in full and went into the express business. 
He afterwards went to New York and kept a liquor shop on 
Broome street for three years, then moving to Mercer street near 
Canal. Two years after this, in 1857, he purchased a farm of 
ninety-four acres, at Natick, Mass., which he increased later to 
170 acres. He ran the farm for nine years, at the same timev 
keeping several liquor shops and restaurants in New York city. 



OUR POLICE. 209 

Finally, in 1866, he sold all his property and retired to Pauls- 
boro', N. J., where he lived as a gentleman of leisure. Fifteen 
days before he sold his farm at Natick, he and Harry Howard, 
better known as "English Harry," robbed the Concord National 
Bank. Moore was arrested in Paulsboro' charged with this 
crime, but he compromised with the authorities by giving up his 
share of the plunder, amounting in all to over $200,000, and 
agreeing to place "English Harry" in their hands. He was 
unable to accomplish the latter part of the bargain, however, 
although he tried to. 

He next appeared in Jersey City as a "speculator," in both 
the legitimate and the illegitimate sense of the word. He 
bought and sold horses, boats, houses, or anything that gave him 
a chance to turn a dollar, and furnished the capital with which 
many dishonest enterprises were carried out by others. He did 
not get into the hands of the law, however, until he was arrested 
after the robbery of the Lime Rock National bank of Rockland, 
Me. This robbery took place on the night of May 3, 1870. 
Eight persons in all were engaged in the crime, including Moore 
and ex-policeman Keiser of Rockland. Reiser's part was to get 
the policeman on the beat out of the way, and to get the other 
burglars out of town after the robbery. The ex-policeman suc- 
ceeded' with the first part of his programme, and the safe was blown 
and about $23,000 in money found. Keiser then drove the men 
out of town with his team and concealed them in the woods, 
where he was to call for them the following night. But being 
arrested on suspicion almost as soon as the burglary was discov- 
ered, he confessed, and took the authorities to the hiding place of 
his confederates, all of whom except one were arrested. Moore 
pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to four years imprisonment. 
On account of his good behavior, and, it is intimated, through 
political influence, he was pardoned before his term had expired. 

After this Moore returned to New York, where he re-engaged 
in the liquor business. He took part in many heavy bank bur- 
glaries and other crimes, and was arrested a number of times. 
always managing to keep out of prison, however, until his convic- 
tion for the Charlestown robbery. On a number of occasions he 



210 OUR POLICE. 

saved himself by turning State's evidence. It is said that Moore 
was at one time worth over $500,000. His wife is known to the 
police as " Becky" Moore. She is herself no stranger to crime. 
Moore married her at Bayonne, N. J., in 1866. She was the 
widow of "Dad" Cunningham and the daughter of old Bill 
Sturges, an English sneak and pick-pocket. At one time while 
Moore was in jail in Boston awaiting trial for robbery, she went 
to live with a man named Thompson, a professional " alibi 
prover." Moore being acquitted in Boston returned to New York, 
but was unable to find his wife and children. He then learned 
that they were with Thompson. Going to a saloon at the corner 
of Clinton place and Sixth avenue, which he knew they frequent- 
ened, he met Thompson and attacked him with a knife. He 
nearly cut his victim's eye out, and slashed his cheek so that the 
man bear3 an ugly scar to this day. Moore was arrested, but the 
Grand Jury refused to indict him. His wife rejoined him after 
this, and they went to Chicago together, returning in a few 
months to New York, where they took a house in East Twenty- 
sixth street. This was in January, 1879. Here a large number 
of heavy bank burglaries were planned. The designs against the 
Baltimore banks, which Captain Lannan by his keenness and 
decision frustrated, were among them. 

No two faces about the police headquarters are better known 
than those of the affable and discreet messengers of the Marshal's 
office, policemen Tritel and Milroy. 

Jeremiah W. Tritel has been on the police force since October 
12, 1868. He was appointed to the Central district squad, and 
for five years covered a patrol along the water front. During 
this time he is known to have taken from the water, often at great 
personal risk, between forty and fifty persons. In 1873 he was 
detailed to the Marshal's office in the capacity of messenger, 
which position he still fills. 

The other messenger at the Marshal's office is policeman W. 
Alexander Milroy. He was born in Baltimore on March 7, 
1835. In 1875 he was appointed a patrolman in the Southern 
-district, where he remained four years, until transferred to his 



OUR POLICE. 211 

present detail. Mr. Milroy is a brother of the late Commissioner 
of Police, John Milroy. 

Mr. W. Clarence Allen, the messenger to the Board of Com- 
missioners, was born in this city on February 9, 1858. He was a 
messenger in the employ of the Adams Express Company pre- 
viously to his appointment, on July 20, 1886, to his present 
position. Mr. Allen, according to the records of the department, 
is a patrolman, detailed at the office of the commissioners. His 
duties include the registering and filing of all applications to the 
Board of Commissioners, the care of recovered stolen property, 
etc., and such other clerical work as may occur. 



212 OUR POLICE. 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Detective Force. . 

organization of the secret service. — chief detective 
crone. — captain cadwallader. — captain solomon h. fre- 
burger. — what some of the men have done. — john s. 
pontier. detective cunning and pluck. robbing harn- 

DEN'S EXPRESS. — JOSEPH C. MITCHELL. — AN EXPERT LOCK- 
SMITH. THE ARREST OF HERR GOLDBACH. A ROMANCE AT 

BARNUM'S HOTEL. — THEODERICK B. HALL. — REAL AND BOGUS 
DETECTIVES. 

If Baltimoreans have reason to congratulate themselves upon 
the possession of one of the most efficient police organizations in 
the world, this fact is due in great part to the remarkably good 
work of the detective department. In this branch of the service 
it is intelligence, not numerical strength, which has brought 
such results to the management of the department. Every man 
on the secret service staff has been proved by long experience, 
and by delicate operations. It has been his opportunity re- 
peatedly to distinguish himself; and it is safe to say of every 
one of Baltimore's detectives that he has done it. The present 
force of these special officers is, so far as thorough training in 
the special department of police work to which it is assigned, 
one of the best equipped of similar organizations throughout the 
country. This efficiency is due to at least two causes : One is 
that the marshal of police has the general management of the 
detectives under his immediate supervision. The direct manage- 
ment of the force is in the care of a captain, who is personally 
responsible to the chief for the work of the subordinates. Balti- 
more has been fortunate recently in having two such men as 
Captains Cadwallader and Freburger at the head of the detective 
squad. The former's services brought the detective branch of 
the police force to such a degree of efficiency, that when he left 



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ROGUES' (iALLEKY 



OUR POLICE. 215 

the command to assume control of the district he now has, the 
detectives were all thoroughly conversant with their duties — 
knew what to do on almost any occasion which might arise, and 
how to do it. This was the condition of the squad when its 
present commander was advanced to his present rank. 

While, generally speaking, the detective force of Baltimore is 
nearly as old as the first police organization, there having always 
heen special policemen detailed to "work up" mysterious cases, 
still the first recognized organization of secret officers was com- 
pleted in April, 1867, when Mr. William C. Crone was appointed 
chief. Mr. Crone was a man widely known in this city, having 
heen a deputy sheriff and a private detective of some celebrity. 
The squad then consisted of ten men, and Mr. Crone's official 
rank was Chief Detective, — as the office now is known, Captain. 
He, after the marshal and deputy-marshal, controlled the dispo- 
sition of the force. Mr. Crone continued in office until Septem- 
her, 1881, when he was succeeded by Captain Cadwallader, for 
w T hom the office of Captain of Detectives was created by an act 
of the Legislature. On October 14, 1886, Captain Cadwallader 
was assigned to the Western police district, and Captain Solo- 
mon II. Freburger succeeded him. Since Captain Freburger's 
accession to the office there have been several great crimes in 
which his detectives have taken prominent parts, ferreting out 
the criminals, and discovering evidence for the courts. All this 
work was done under his supervision, and the credit belongs to 
him, as the chief of his department. 

It was on November 5, 1847, that Captain Freburger was 
born. His birth-place still stands in Exeter street, near Balti- 
more street, East Baltimore. His father's name was John Fre- 
burger. The lad received his rudimentary education in the 
public schools of the city, remaining in them until he was six- 
teen years old, when he made up his mind to become a machinist, 
and entered the Baltimore and Ohio Railway shops at Mount 
Clare as an apprentice. After he had learned his trade he 
remained for some time as a journeyman, and then went West. 
He worked for various periods in Chicago, Bloomington, St. 
Louis, and Lancaster, Pa. ; and after an absence of about two 



216 OUR POLICE. 

years returned home again. For the second time he began work 
at the Mount Clare shops, and was employed there for about 
eighteen months, until, in 1874, he was appointed assistant 
engineer at the pump-house of the High Service Water Works, 
at Druid Hill Park. The work in this capacity was much 
too confining for Mr. Freburger, so, on May 1, 1875, he resigned 
his position and accepted that of a detective on the Baltimore 
police force. Since this date Mr. Freburger's career has been 
closely identified with the history of the department. He was 
the direct cause of the breaking up of a large and dangerous 
band of burglars, which made the house-holders of this city retire 
at night with the expectation of arising the following morning 
without a bit of jewelry or silverware in the house. So valuable 
were these services, that in 1884, in the Marshal's report to the 
Legislature appears the following : 

In the early part of this year (1883) quite a number of cases 
of housebreaking and robbery took place in the western and 
northwestern sections of the city, and in some instances those 
engaged in these offenses eluded immediate arrest, but very nearly 
everyone of them was eventually arrested; the majority of these 
have been convicted and are now serving terms in the State prison, 
while others are awaiting trial. The detective officers and other 
members of the force engaged in ferreting out these criminals and 
bringing them to trial deserve much credit for consummate skill 
and untiring industry. 

In 1877 Captain Freburger was on duty as a detective at the 
Camden Railway Station during the terrible strike riots. He 
was complimented by the Board of Police Commissioners and by 
Marshal Gray for his faithful and efficient services during those 
trying times. The captain is a man of fine physique, and gives 
evidence of great strength in every movement of his body. His 
face is open and pleasing, and the heavy black moustache which 
shades his mouth makes his countenance very attractive. His 
appearance is such as would not reassure a criminal who was- 
the object of his pursuit. 

Detective John S. Pontier is a native of this city. He was 
born on June 4, 1836. After receiving a rudimentary educa- 



OUR POLICE. 21T 

tion in the public schools, and in St. Patrick's and St. Yin- 
cent's parochial schools, he learned the carpenters' trade. He 
did not work long at this, however, for his brother, who was 
the head of the firm of Pontier & Haslett, dealers in foreign 
fruits, etc., in Howard street, offered him a clerkship in his store, 
which he promptly accepted. A few years later Sheriff Creamer 
appointed him to a position in the Sheriff's Office, which he 
continued to hold during Sheriff Dutton's term, or until about 
1862. In 1866 he was appointed to the detective squad. He 
was well-acquainted, personally, with the officers of Adams' and 
other express companies, and to any case in which these corpo- 
rations were interested he was usually assigned. One of his 
early pieces of work was the investigation of the robbery by 
express messenger H. Clay Potts, who stole money and papers 
amounting to $60,000 from the Southern Express Company, in 
August, 1867. The safe of the company, containing $45,000 
in money and $15,000 in signed requisitions upon the Govern- 
ment for the charges by the company for the transportation of 
troops, etc., after the war, was placed in the charge of Potts, 
from Mobile, Ala., to Corinth, Miss. When nearing Corinth, as 
the train slowed up to the station where the young man was to 
deliver over his safe and the keys to the next messenger, Potts 
opened the strong chest and taking out the valuable packages,, 
threw them from the car into a swampy place beside the track. 
As soon as the train stopped and he delivered the keys to the 
other messenger, he ran back to where he had thrown the 
packages ; picking them up he made his way to the other side of 
a branch of the Tennessee river, which was close by. There he- 
found a hollow tree near the waters' edge into which he threw 
the requisitions and $40,000 of the money. He then hurried 
back before his crime should be discovered, and took the next 
north bound train. For some days he was lost sight of. Mean- 
while the express company had a recent portrait of the young 
man engraved and thousands of circulars printed bearing the 
picture and a description of Potts, and offering a large reward 
for his capture. These were distributed among all the employe's 
of the company and sent to the police throughout the country. 



218 OUR POLICE. 

About a fortnight after the robbery, one of the messengers of the 
Adams Express Company, Mr. Charles Ehrman, saw Potts in a 
railroad car near Cumberland, in this State, where it was known 
that the young man had relatives living. It was afterwards 
learned that he intended going there, but seeing what he thought 
an unusual crowd about the depot, his guilty conscience made him 
timid and he remained on board the train. Ehrman watched 
the young man carefully for some time, and at last becoming 
convinced of his identity tapped him on the shoulder with the 
question : 

" Is your name Potts, sir ? " 

Taken by surprise, Potts answered in the affirmative. 

" Then you're under arrest," said Ehrman. This capture took 
place near the Relay House station, and Potts was brought at 
once to Baltimore and placed in the hands of the police. More 
than §4,000 was found on his person. Upon proper requisitions 
from the Governor of Alabama, Detective Pontier was detailed 
to take the young man back to Mobile. On the journey south., 
ward the detective succeeded in learning from Potts where he 
had put the money he had stolen. He stopped off at Corinth 
with his prisoner and the two went to one of the hotels in the 
place. A local constable having heard of the important prisoner 
who was in town, offered his services in guarding him. While 
they were seated in their room, the proprietor of the hotel 
knocked on the door and whispered that a crowd of men was in 
the bar-room and that they were talking about rescuing Potts, 
who was well-known in Corinth. Leaving his prisoner in charge 
of the local constable, Detective Pontier went to the bar-room, 
where he found a crowd of rough-looking men assembled. They 
all knew who he was, for they had seen him conduct the prisoner 
to the hotel. Realizing that bravado was his best course, the 
detective, who is a large muscular man, threw back his coat with 
a swagger, and bringing his fist down on the bar with a blow 
that made all the windows rattle in their sashes and threatened 
destruction to every near-by piece of crockery, summoned all 
hands to drink. The summons was obeyed without a murmur. 
Having thus established a speaking acquaintance, the detective 



OUR POLICE. 219 

carelessly seated himself on the edge of an ice-box in such a 
manner that his two 32 calibre Colt revolvers protruded into the 
gaze of the now respectful gathering, and said : "I hear that 
somebody around here was talking about taking my man away 
from me ! " 

"Oh, no!" 

" That's only talk ! " 

" We didn't mean no sich thing as that," murmured one and 
another of the crowd deprecatingly. 

"Well, I just came down to say," returned the detective, 
" that he and I are going to sleep in the same room to-night, 
and I invite any and all of you to try and get in. But don't 
forget to bring a surgeon along with you when you come." 
And, tapping his weapons significantly, the officer turned on his 
heels and went back to his room. He was not disturbed that 
night. 

The next morning, shortly after day-break, Mr. Pontier and 
Potts started out to recover the hidden money and papers. To 
their dismay they discovered that since the day of the theft the 
stream had risen and overflowed its banks and had again receded. 
All the trees in the neighborhood were covered with yellow slimy 
mud, deposited during the freshet, to a heighth of several 
feet.. The marks among the underbrush by which Potts 
expected to locate his hollow tree had been obliterated. They 
hunted for the tree all day long until in the evening, just as they 
were about to return to the hotel, they came upon it. • The 
detective put his hand in the hollow trunk and brought forth a 
number of packages of paper, which, on account of the yellow 
mud and slime were unrecognizable as bank notes. Wrapping 
the packages carefully in a newspaper which he had brought for 
the purpose, the detective carried the precious bundle back to the 
hotel. Mr. Pontier then ordered a grate fire to be made, and 
when it was thoroughly blazing he opened the packages one at 
a time and hung the bills over the backs of chairs before it until 
they were all dried. When the moisture was evaporated the dust 
was easily knocked off by a snap of the finger against the bill. 
Then repacking the notes he placed them in a valise and started 



220 OUR POLICE. 

off the same night with his prisoner for Mobile, where he arrived 
late the following day. He turned his man over to the police, and 
took a receipt for the valise and its contents from the express 
company's officers. Potts was afterwards convicted of his crime 
and was sent to the Alabama State prison for fifteen years. 

Another express company case in which Mr. Pontier's detective 
skill was called into requisition was the robbery of the contents 
of the money pouch of the messenger of Harnden's express in 
this city, in the summer of 1869. In that year three men, all 
of them well known burglars, Thomas Hoffman, Edward Dennis, 
and William Howard, the first a very clever criminal, rented an 
office in North Charles street, between Lexington and Fayette 
streets, and pretended to go into the commission business. 
Howard went to Washington and directed a package, purporting 
to contain money, to himself at their office, and then returned to 
this city to await its delivery. The money messenger of Harnden's 
express company in Baltimore at that time was an old man named 
Richard Patterson. He was feeble and utterly unfit for the 
position he occupied. "When Patterson delivered the package at the 
thieves' office they were there baiting for him. As he took the en- 
velope from his pouch, however, they saw that there were very few 
more packages in it. He had evidently been nearly over his route. 
The following day Howard again went to Washington and sent 
another package, purporting to contain money, to himself as 
before. When Patterson came this time his pouch was full. As 
soon as he opened it the three men seized him and "bucking" 
and gagging him left him on the floor, decamping with the pouch, 
which contained §14,500 in money. In the course of an hour 
Patterson succeeded in freeing himself and ran to the office of the 
express company to inform them of the robbery. The police were 
immediately notified, and Detective Pontier was detailed upon the 
case. Circulars describing the thieves and offering §1,500 
reward for their capture were scattered broadcast over the coun- 
try by the company. A few days later a telegram from a 
constable at Swanton, a mining village up in the mountains of 
Maryland, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, was received, 
announcing that he had two men in custody, who, he thought, 



OUR POLICE. 221 

answered the description of the burglars. Detective Pontier 
hastened to Swanton, and found the men to be Howard and 
Dennis. He brought them to this city, where Howard was 
prevailed upon to confess the crime, and tell where the money 
was hidden. 

" Go to Swanton," he said to Detective Pontier, " and behind 
the station you will see a zigzag path. Follow this through the 
woods to the top of the mountains. Then take the middle 
straight path beyond, until you come to a large tree fallen across 
it. On your left you will see a pile of dead leaves. The money 
is underneath those leaves." 

Accompanied by an officer of the express company, Detective 
Pontier went to Swanton at once, and followed the instructions. 
A short distance beyond the top of the mountain they found the 
dead tree, and brushed up against its trunk was a pile of leaves. 
On pushing away the leaves they found the packages of bank 
notes, together with a large quantity of gold and silver coin, not 
confined in any receptacle, but lying loosely on the ground. They 
amounted altogether to more than $11,000. The money was 
brought back to the city and Detective Pontier continued his 
search for Hoffman, who was the most clever and dangerous 
criminal of the three. The man was caught some time later in 
a small place in one of the Western States, and brought hither 
upon a requisition. The three were indicted and were awaiting 
trial when Hoffman escaped from jail by opening his cell door 
and making his way to the roof, and thence letting himself down 
to the ground by the leader. He opened the cells of two or 
three other prisoners also and let them escape with him, but did 
not release either Howard or Dennis, against whom he was 
violently angered for having "Mowed." In jumping to the 
ground he sprained his ankle. This made it easy to trace him 
when Detective Pontiers again was put upon his track, this time 
accompanied by Detective Mitchell. The detectives followed him 
to the Western Maryland railway and thence to Union Bridge, 
the last station on the road. On entering the railroad inn there, 
he found Hoffman sitting in the barber's shop, talking with a boy 
about sixteen years old, and nursing his ankle. 



222 OUR POLICE. 

" Who's the boy, Tom ? " was the detectives' greeting query. 

" He's ' Kid ' Johnson, I let him out with me. He was in for 
picking pockets," replied the thief in an unmoved tone. Then 
he added, " help me up stairs, detective, and put me to bed, my 
ankle's badly hurt." They took the injured man up stairs, and 
while the boy slept in a corner, the detective bathed Hoffman's 
ankle, and nursed it nearly all night. The next morning the 
detectives brought the two to the city, where Hoffman was after- 
ward tried and convicted with his accomplices. Each was sen- 
tenced to ten years and six months in the Penitentiary. One 
night in prison Hoffman attacked Howard, whom he had never 
forgiven for confessing, and nearly killed him. For this he was 
taken out of prison, tried for assault, and had eighteen months 
-added to his sentence. 

A third important express robbery, in which the company 
recovered its money through detective Pontier's skill, was the 
case of station agent J. B. Stedman, of Harper's Ferry, Ya., 
w r ho in May, 1871, stole $1,200 belonging to the Adams Express 
Company. One morning Mr. J. Q. A. Herring, the superin- 
tendent of Adams Express Company in this city, came to head- 
quarters with a despatch from Stedman, who slept in the station, 
saying that on the previous night while he was absent at a 
Masonic meeting, the station was broken into and robbed of 
$1,200. Detective Pontier and Mr. Herring went to Harper's 
Ferry together, and looked over the scene of the robbery. After 
a few moments the detective called Mr. Herring aside and said : 
" The station agent did this robbery ! " Mr. Herring was sur- 
prised, but when the detective showed him marks indicating 
positively that the windows had been pried open from the inside, 
ne agreed with him. The detective then went into the other 
room where Stedman was standing, and accused him of the crime. 
The man looked frightened, but denied the charge with a show of 
indignation. The detective then showed him the marks on the 
wdndow and intimated that he knew of other and more certain 
evidence. The station agent paled and began to tremble. Then 
turning to the detective he asked in a choking voice : 



OUR POLICE. 223 

" Are you a Mason ?" 

Detective Pontier was not a Mason, but Mr. Herring "was. 
The latter was called in, and Stedman asked him to take him 
to the hotel, as he wished to talk to him. In the hotel the man 
confessed that he had stolen the $1,200 and placed it in a brass 
tube, secured at both ends, which he had sent to Chicago, to be 
kept till called for. The superintendent telegraphed to the 
train on which the package had been sent, and had the tube 
returned to Baltimore the following day. The money was found 
wrapped up inside of it, as Stedman had declared. The station 
agent was tried at Moundville, Virginia, and sentenced to five 
years imprisonment. 

On August 11, 1867, one of the most horrible murders that 
ever took place in Baltimore occurred at the rear entrance to 
Judge Campbell's mansion, on West Franklin street, between 
Howard street and Park avenue. One of Judge Campbell's 
house servants, a good-looking and respectable colored girl, had 
a beau named John Dixon, a bad character. Dixon called to 
see the girl on this evening, and asked her to marry him. She 
refused to do so then, saying that if he would stop drinking she 
would marry him later. The old colored cook, who was sitting 
in the kitchen, heard this conversation. The two went out after 
a little, as Dixon rose to leave. At the back gate he put his 
left arm around the girl's neck, as if about to kiss her good-night, 
and then suddenly throwing her head back, he slashed a razor 
across her throat, cutting her neck through to the spine. The 
girl put her hand to her throat and stumbled blindly across the 
yard into the kitchen, where she fell dead, the blood pouring 
from her arteries and saturating the surroundings. An alarm 
was raised at once, and Detective Pontier was sent to cap tare 
Dixon. He found him asleep in a house on Rock street, where 
a notorious negro preacher, known as "Blind Johnny," held 
forth. On his way to the scene of the crime, the negro, pro- 
fessing ignorance, asked : 

" What yo' arrestin' me fur, Mr. Pontier V 

"How do you know me?" demanded the detective. 

" I used to wait on you when I belonged to Cunnel Slater," 



224 OUR POLICE. 

replied the negro. The detective then recognized the fellow as 
the former slave of a gentleman who owned Carroll's Island, in 
the Chesapeake Bay, a great ducking ground, which he used to 
visit. He then accused the negro of the murder of the girl. 
The fellow denied it strenuously until brought to the house and 
unexpectedly confronted with the bleeding corpse. Then he 
fairly collapsed. Dixon was tried, but the State being unable 
to prove premeditation, he was convicted in the second degree 
only, and sentenced to eighteen years imprisonment. 

Detective Pontier also arrested Hollohan and Nicholson, the 
murderers of Mrs. Lampley, the story of which is told in the sketch 
of Marshal Frey. He was in the company of the marshal, too, 
when, in 1873, they arrested John Thomas, the assailant of Mrs. 
Carlotta Sarracco. 

In the summer of 1876, Detective Pontier arrested a man for 
whom all the police in the world had been on the look-out for 
many months. This was Louis Diebel, who, while burgomeister 
of the little city of Kadowitz in Polish Prussia, Germany, em- 
bezzled about $15,000 of the funds entrusted to his care, and 
disappeared. The German police offered 4,000 marks, or $1,000, 
reward for the dishonest official's capture, and distributed por- 
traits and descriptions of him in all languages, all over the world. 
One of these descriptions fell into the hands of Detective Pontier 
and he made inquiries among Germans of the city, in hopes that 
somebody might have run across the man. It happened that 
one of the detective's German friends did know of a man answer- 
ing to the description, who was living at the old Washington 
House, a small hotel at Camden and Eutaw streets, opposite the 
Camden station. Mr. Pontier went thither and found that the 
man was registered under his own name. At the time, however, 
the embezzler was in the country bargaining for the purchase of 
a farm. On his return to the hotel the detective arrested him 
and found him to be the person he was in search of. The man 
was sent to Germany by the German Consul, and the reward of 
$1,000 was received by Mr. Pontier. According to the rules of 
the police board the money was handed over to the commissioners, 
but after some weeks it was paid him. Nearly $13,000 of the 



OUR POLICE. 225 

$15,000 stolen by the burgomeister was recovered, it being found 
on his person at the time of his arrest. 

Detective Joseph C. Mitchell was born in this city on July 
22, 1827. He is a brother of the late Captain John Mitchell, 
formerly in command of the Middle district. He attended the 
public schools in Baltimore, and afterwards learned the trade of 
coach smithing, at which he worked for about six years as a 
journeyman. He then went into the eating-house business, and 
for many years kept restaurants in various parts of the city. 
He was appointed a member of the detective squad on April 21, 
1867. He never served the police department in any other 
capacity. Detective Mitchell is one of the only two officers now 
remaining on the squad who were appointed at the reorganization 
of 1867. Detective Pontier is the other. 

In the summer of 1875, a large number of houses in the 
wealthier part of the city were robbed by sneak thieves, who car- 
ried on their operations nearly every day for a month* One of 
the thieves was evidently an expert locksmith, for the doors of the 
houses which were robbed were opened with skeleton keys in a 
very skillful manner. Detective Mitchell was assigned to find out 
who the thieves were. After inspecting their work, Mr. Mitchell 
came to the conclusion that they were not Baltimoreans, as there 
were not to his knowledge any local thieves capable of doing 
such neat work. He was about to make a tour of the cheap 
hotels with a view of seeing what strangers were in town, when a 
negro boy whom he knew told him he had seen "Nat" Jones, 
alias "Davy" Peyton, and James Sanford, two New York 
thieves, in town, and that they were committing the robberies 
that had caused so many complaints. Upon further inquiry 
Detective Mitchell learned that the two thieves were probably at 
the Union Hotel, on Pratt street, near Market street. On 
August 13, he went to the hotel, and giving the clerk a descrip- 
tion of the men, asked if they were in the house. 

"Yes, I think they're about here somewhere now," replied 
the clerk. 

Just then the detective saw his men in the reading-room, en- 
grossed in the New York papers, sitting with their feet on the 



226 OUR POLICE. 

reading-room table. He went up to them, and getting in a con- 
venient position to grasp both the men, if they should attempt to 
escape, said : 

" The Marshal wants to see you at the headquarters." 
The men looked blankly at each other a moment and then 
replying "All right," accompanied the detective. They were 
locked up and indicted upon evidence against them that was sub- 
sequently found, and upon a confession which Sanford made* 
Their method was to hire a wagon and drive up to the house they 
intended robbing. Then after ransacking the place they would 
put their plunder into the wagon and drive off. While awaiting 
trial Jones broke jail and escaped. He went to New York where 
he lived in a tenement house in Canal street, near the Hudson 
river. Dectective Mitchell followed him thither and was aided 
in his hunt for the man by one of Inspector Byrne's detectives. 
They watched the house in which Jones lived for some days, but 
did not once see him. Then they learned that the man never 
came out of his room except at sunrise, when he took a short 
walk, bought a morning paper and returned to remain until the 
next day. So the following morning at peep of day the detect- 
ives placed themselves before the house. A moment after they 
arrived their man came out and they took him into custody. De- 
tective Mitchell brought him back to Baltimore, where he was 
convicted and sentenced for ten years and six months. Sanford 
was sentenced for five years. Jones served his whole term, and 
in 1886, as soon as he was released, was taken to Boston to serve 
out an old sentence in a jail there from which he had escaped. 
He is still serving his time in Boston, under special guard. Jones- 
has the reputation of being one of the most successful jail break- 
ers in the country. He escaped from seven prisons in various 
parts of the United States before he broke jail in this city. Now 
that he is in custody, his only hope of not spending the rest of 
his life in confinement lies in making another and final escape, 
for the total of unexpired sentences that he will have to serve 
out in one prison and another aggregates more than thirty years. 
In the centennial year Detective Mitchell became officially 
connected with a crime that acquired a world-wide notoriety, and 



OUR POLICE. 227 

which is still frequently spoken of in some circles. The great 
Kur-Saal at Baden-Baden, in Germany, at that time, still main- 
tained its name of being one of the largest and most magnificent 
gambling houses in the world. It was rivalled only by the gaming 
palaces of Monaco and Monte Carlo. The Kur-Saal or Casino, 
was conducted under semi-official auspices, and it was generally 
understood to be the property of the Crown of the Duchy of Baden- 
Baden. About 1876 there was much talk about closing the great 
gambling place on account of the growing prejudice against public 
gaming, which at that time showed itself throughout the German 
Empire. One of the assistants of the treasurer of the establish- 
ment was a young man named Ernst Goldbach. As was after- 
wards ascertained he had for some years been systematically 
robbing the "bank." He lived much beyond his income as a 
clerk, but as he had been known at times to have made large win- 
nings by his occasional ventures at the tables, no suspicion of his 
honesty entered the mind of his superiors. On May 30, 1886, 
having learned from what he supposed to be a trustworthy source 
that the games were to be stopped on June 1, he stole 40,000 
thalers (about $30,000) from the safe of the "bank" and de- 
camped. The theft was not discovered until late the following 
day, by which time Goldbach had crossed the French frontier 
with his mistress and their son, a child of six years. A few days 
later the German police got information which led them to believe 
that the young man had boarded one of the North German Lloyd 
steamships at Southampton, England, and was on his way to New 
York. They cabled to the German consul, and he caused the 
first incoming steamer of that line, which arrived in the port of 
New York, to be searched for the man. The search having proved 
fruitless, he telegraphed to the German consul in this city to 
request the Baltimore police to search another steamship of the 
same company which had left Southampton at the same time for 
Baltimore. In response to the request of the consul, Detective 
Mitchell was detailed upon the case. He procured permission 
from the United States officials to go down the bay on the revenue 
cutter. He met the steamer at Quarantine and boarded her. As 
the revenue cutter drew up alongside of the mammoth craft, all 



228 OUR POLICE. 

the passengers on board, numbering nearly fifteen hundred, 
crowded along the rail to look at her. Detective Mitchell had 
an accurate description of Goldbach, and as he looked up from 
the deck of the cutter he saw a man in the crowd who answered 
the description exactly, so far as features and stature were con- 
cerned. 

"That's my prisoner," thought the detective, and his specu- 
lation proved correct, for upon inquiry of the purser for Herr 
Goldbach, the officer pointed the same young man out to him. 
Goldbach was greatly taken aback at his arrest. He spoke but 
little English. The detective took him and his mistress and 
child into custody, and when the passengers were landed, con- 
ducted them to the police headquarters. There a gold draft on 
Brown Brothers & Co., the bankers, for $4,400 was found on Gold- 
bach, besides a large amount in German paper money and Eng- 
lish gold and silver coins. A matron on searching the man's 
mistress found $10,000 worth of German government and other 
negotiable securities sewed into her clothing, and also a large 
quantity of cash. The money about the persons of the pair 
aggregated between $17,000 and $18,000. The prisoners, at the 
request of the German consul, were not locked up in jail, but 
were given apartments in a first class hotel. The explanation of 
this strange proceeding was afterward discovered to be the fact 
that the young man's connections in Germany were noble and 
very wealthy. They subsequently so arranged matters that Gold- 
bach was not required to be sent back for trial, and after a short 
confinement here in the hotel he was allowed to go free. He 
managed to get as far as New York, when after nearly starving 
to death he found a situation as waiter in a large German beer 
saloon and restaurant. At last accounts he still held this situa- 
tion, his mistress, who was a remarkably beautiful girl, remaining 
faithful to him. 

Some years ago a handsome young widow lived at Barnum's 
Hotel. Besides her attractions of face and form, she was known 
to possess considerable property. Her name was Mrs. William 
H. Young. A young gentleman from "Washington came to live 
in Baltimore, and stopped also at Barnum's Hotel. His name 



OUR POLICE. 229 

was James Ivins. He was connected with some of the best 
families of the National Capital. Mrs. Young and Mr. Ivins 
made each other's acquaintance, and they soon became great 
friends. Though Mr. Ivins subsequently took lodgings in the 
city, he visited Mrs. Young at the hotel almost daily, and 
frequently took her to ride in Druid Hill Park or in the suburbs. 
The other lady guests of the hotel were getting intensely inter- 
ested in the pair, and the servants retailed romances concerning 
them that added fuel to the fire of curiosity that was consuming 
the fair fellow-guests of the beautiful widow. One afternoon 
Mr. Ivins called. Mrs. You»g was out, and he said he would 
wait for her in her room, which was where the lady was ac- 
customed to receive him. A few moments later he went out, 
saying he would return shortly. He did not come back, how- 
ever. Mrs. Young returned, and as she took Mr. Ivin's card 
from the servant's salver, a smile of satisfaction passed over her 
countenance. About six o'clock in the evening, however, she 
rushed down stairs in a great flurry, and announced to the clerk 
that she had been robbed of all her diamond jewelry, which she 
had left in her bureau drawer when she went out, amounting in 
value to $2,500. She had just discovered her loss as she was 
attiring herself for supper. The police were notified at once, 
and Detective Mitchell was sent to look into the case. After 
hearing of all the circumstances, he concluded, contrary to Mrs. 
Young's belief that one of the servants had stolen the jewelry, 
that the thief was none other than the handsome Mr. Ivins. 
When Mrs. Young learned that that gentleman had hastily left 
town, and also remembered that he was the only person who 
knew exactly where the jewels were kept, she was forced to agree 
with the detective. The valuables had evidently been taken by 
some one who knew their exact whereabouts, for nothing else in 
the room, and no other drawer except the one from which they 
were taken was upset. Detective Mitchell, with much difficulty, 
traced Ivins about from place to place, until finally he located 
him in Chicago, whither he went and arrested him. Ivins sub- 
mitted quietly to arrest. He told where he had disposed of the 
diamonds, and the detective recovered all but three hundred 



230 OUR POLICE. 

dollars' worth of them. The young man said he had never before 
stolen anything nor been arrested. This was probably true, for 
his record showed him to have never been anything worse than a 
wild youth. He called to see Mrs. Young with nothing further 
from his mind than stealing her diamonds. Finding the jewels 
unguarded, however, and being in financial straits at the time, 
an evil impulse seized him, and he took the jewelry and fled. 

He was held in confinement for nearly seven months, at the 
end of which time, Mrs. Young refusing to prosecute him, he 
was released. 

Detective Theoderick B. Hall was born in Baltimore on August 
20, 1838, and was educated in the public schools of this city. 
He was apprenticed to and learned the trade of a bricklayer. 

At the breaking out of the civil war in 1861 Mr. Hall enlisted 
in the First Regiment Maryland Volunteers, U. S. Army, and 
was commissioned Lieutenant Co. C. He served one year, when 
he was honorably discharged by reason of disability contracted in 
service. 

In January, 1863, Mr. Hall was appointed to the police force, 
and after serving one year he resigned to accept the position of 
conductor on the City Passenger Railway, tendered him by 
President Tyson of that company. In this capacity he served 
thirteen years, during which time he personally apprehended 
nine pickpockets on his car. He also assisted the detective of 
the railroad company in arresting others. Mr. Hall became an 
officer in the City's detective department, April 23, 1875. It 
was he who, in 1877, "turned up" the thieving barge captains 
who for years had been systematically robbing the grain mer- 
chants of this city. For a long time complaints had been made 
of the enormous " shrinkage" in the barge cargoes of grain 
shipped to consignees, but nothing could be learned to account 
for it. Finally, in March, 1877, Detective Hall was detailed to 
investigate the matter. After much trouble he found that Cap- 
tain William Deffendorf and four other grain barge captains were 
engaged in a scheme whereby from two to three hundred bushels 
of grain were stolen of a night. The men had a sloop, and 
lying up to the barges, they would load the plunder, a quota 



OUR POLICE. 231 

being taken from each of the barges of grain entrusted to their 
care, run the stolen property to Chesapeake City, exchange it 
for flour, and then sell the flour. The first man against whom 
Detective Hall secured any evidence was Captain Deffendorf, who 
made a confession to the officer inculpating his comrades in the 
crime. In order to accomplish the arrest of all, Deffendorf was 
allowed to remain at liberty for the time being, of which he took 
advantage to advise his confederates of their danger and the whole 
party "skipped." Detective Hall arrested Deffendorf stowed 
away in a canal barge between Weehawken and Hoboken, after 
a most exciting chase of seventeen days, which carried him nearly 
all over the States of New York and New Jersey. Another of 
the fugitives he arrested in Philadelphia, one in New Brunswick, 
N. J., and another in Baltimore. The prosecution saw that no 
conviction could be had unless one of the guilty men was used as 
States' evidence, and Deffendorf had consented to tell all he 
knew. After the accused had remained in jail for eight months, 
on the very day set for the trial of the cases Deffendorf died. 
There being no other evidence forthcoming, the State's Attorney 
entered a nolle pros, and the men were discharged. One of them, 
years afterwards, came to Detective Hall and told him that his 
arrest was the most fortunate thing that had ever happened him, 
as a career in crime had been checked and he had since been an 
honest man. 

Detective Hall, in conjunction with Detective Gault, in July, 
1877, arrested the notorious James Huff alias Porter. Huff, or 
Porter, had at one time been in the U. S. Secret Service under 
Chief Brooks and had been dismissed. Por five years prior to 
his arrest Huff had been going about the country representing 
himself as a secret service officer, and by that means defrauding 
people under various pretenses. He had baffled Chief Brooks' 
men, who were constantly hearing of his fraudulent practices. 
but were unable to lay their hands on him. One night in the 
month mentioned Marshal Frey received a telegram from Union 
Bridge, Md., asking him to look out for Huff, as it was thought 
he would be in Baltimore and would call at the post-office for a 
letter. Detectives Hall and Gault were detailed to the case, and 



232 OUK POLICE. 

after considerable difficulty and four days constant vigilance they 
succeeded in locating their man at Lloyd's Hotel, corner Calvert 
and Pratt streets. It was late at night when the officers reached 
the hotel and Huff had retired. They were, however, shown to 
the room, and Detective Hall rapped at the door. 

" Who's there?" was the response. 

"A friend," was the reply ; "" open the door." 

" You can't get in here^' said Huff. 

" Open the door, or we'll break it in," threatened the detectives, 
and the bogus Secret Service man unlocked the door and 
peeked out. 

" How do, Huff!" was the salutation of Detective Hall. 

" My name's not Huff; it is Porter." 

" Well ! Porter is just the man we want," came the reply. 

" Oh ! I know who you are," said Huff, " you are a couple of 
these fly detectives who go nosing about other people's business!" 

" Where did you go to guessing school ?" responded Mr. 
Gault. "Now you've told us who we are, tell us who you are." 

"I'll mighty soon show you," said Huff r with an important 
and threatening air, and going to his coat, produced a large 
bundle of papers bearing the name of "James Porter." The 
papers were U. S. Government blanks connected with various 
departments, and while they made a brave show superficially and 
collectively, a closer examination revealed that they were of no 
importance whatever, but simply useful to impose upon the 
ignorant and credulous. 

Huff was removed to the police headquarters, where, upon 
being searched, it was learned by maps, charts, and other papers 
found on his person that he was one of the conspirators to rob the 
tomb of the remains of President Lincoln. He was sent to 
Hagerstown, and at his trial Chief Brooks and five of his men 
appeared to prosecute him. Huff was convicted and sentenced 
to five years in the Maryland Penitentiary. Chief Brooks sent 
a congratulatory letter to Detectives Hall and Gault for having 
made this important capture. 

On December 12, 1882, Detective Hall arrested "Tom" 
Bigelow, alias Ward, and Louise Bigelow, alias Jordan, alias 



OUR POLICE. 233 

"English Louise." They were pickpockets. Their plan of 
working was for the woman to watch about savings banks, and 
" spotting" some woman who had drawn a sum of money, would 
follow her, and being joined by Tom Bigelow, who would be 
lurking in the neighborhood, subsequently relieve the victim of 
the money in the street car. Detective Hall had four cases 
against them, but through the failure of the persons robbed to 
sufficiently identify the pair, they were discharged and sent 
out of the city. 

Noah M. Mitchell, the colored swindler, was arrested by De- 
tective Hall on December 7, 1885. Mitchell's plan of opeiations 
was clever and ingenious, and he showed that he was a man 
who had enjoyed more than an average education. He would 
go to a city and have a pamphlet printed, setting forth that 
a society had been organized whose object it was to secure 
a higher education for the colored people of the South. He 
would then go to the prominent men of that city and secure their 
endorsement of the purposes mentioned in the little book, but 
would ask no subscription from them. This he did in Wash- 
ington, and secured as endorsers of the proposed object the names 
of the President, an ex-President, Senators, Congressmen, promi- 
nent lawyers and others. With these endorsements of the plan 
he came to Baltimore, and represented himself as a solicitor for 
subscriptions for the society, of which he was the only living ex- 
ponent and sole beneficiary. Among his victims there were such 
men as Messrs. Bonaparte, Frank Stevens, Thomas Ruddle, and 
other prominent citizens. He secured between $500 and $600. 
He was convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary for two years 
and six months. 

William Thomas was arrested in August, 1878, by Detective 
Hall, for attempting to blackmail a citizen through the use of 
the mails. When the officer put his hand on Thomas's shoulder 
to arrest him Thomas sprang back and drew a pistol. Detective 
Hall was too quick for him, however, disarmed him and carried 
him to headquarters. Thomas was sentenced to one year's im- 
prisonment. 

Detective Hall is a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal 



234 OUR POLICE. 

Church, and belongs to many of the societies connected with 
that denomination. To many unfortunates who have been 
arrested by him he has given good counsel and advice, and some 
hardened criminals nave through him been reclaimed to a better 
life. 



S 



OUR POLICE. 2-35 



OEAPTER X. 

The Detective Force. — Continued. 

ALBERT GAULT. — A REMARKABLE RECORD. — QUICK WORK WITH 
SKILLFUL BURGLARS. — RESCUING FROM THE FLOOD. — CLEVER 
CAPTURE OF JOHN KING. — CHRISTINE ELBRIGHT. — ARREST OF 
TOLLIVER HARRIS, THE NEGRO TERROR OF VIRGINIA. — AMONG 
THE MOONSHINERS. — TERRIBLE CONFLICT WITH AN ESCAPED 

PRISONER. DETECTIVE GEORGE W. SEIBOLD. RISEN FROM 

THE RANKS. — PURSUING THE CONFIDENCE MEN. — A COLORED 
FEMALE FAGIN. — THEIR CHILD RESTORED AFTER EIGHT YEARS. 
— A PPvIESTLY SWINDLER. — DETECTIVE SEIBOLD AS A FAKIR. — 
CLEVER WORK IN ELLICOTT CITY. — BARN BURNING IN HOWARD 
COUNTY. — HOW AN AGED TRAMP REPAID FARMER RHINE'S 
KINDNESS. 

There is perhaps no detective in the State of Maryland about 
whom so much that is favorable is told and so many stories 
related as Albert Gault. He is a born erime-detecter and 
his experiences have certainly been varied and thrilling enough 
to create a fund for sensational' story-writers that would be im- 
perishable during the present generation. He has had all sorts 
of escapes, has captured all manner of criminals, has followed all 
sorts of clues with such attending circumstances that told in de- 
tail would make him not a simple detective, but a creature of 
romance. He had an opportunity to serve Baltimore when it 
was perhaps one of the wickedest cities on the American conti- 
nent. The fact that he is still alive to tell of his deeds is suf- 
ficient to prove the man's indomitable perseverance in not allow- 
ing wounds, or nearly death itself, to interfere in the prosecution 
of his duty. He comes of an excellent family which through 
business reverses was reduced in circumstances. He was born 
in this city on October 13, 1837. His father was Robert Gault, 
then a well-to-do type-founder. Young Gault attended the nub- 



236 OUR POLICE. 

lie schools, but he left them early. At the age of fourteen 
years he was apprenticed to the firm of gas-fitters, Blair & Co., and 
learned his trade, which he followed for fifteen years. During the 
war Mr. Gault started business on his own account, but not 
finding trade sufficiently remunerative he remained but two years 
as a "boss." Finally he decided that he would join the police 
force, so he made his application to the police department and 
received his appointment on December 8, 1866. He was as- 
signed to the Middle (now Central) district, under Captain John 
Mitchell, who held his commission from the famous Young and 
Valiant board of Commissioners. On April 22, 1875, while 
serving under Captain (now Deputy-Marshal) Lannan, in the 
Middle district, Mr. Gault was made a sergeant, and on June 
29 of the same year he was assigned to work on the detective 
squad. 

Mr. Gault had been on the police force but a few days when he 
fell in with a most important piece of work. At that time the 
passenger trains from the north on their way to "Washington and 
the south were drawn through the city by horses, from the Presi- 
dent street station of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore 
railroad to the Camden street station of the Baltimore and Ohio 
railroad company. Gault's beat included the neighborhood of the 
Marsh Market, by which, on Pratt street, all the trains passed. 
Many complaints had been received at headquarters within the 
few weeks previous, of the depredations of sneak thieves who 
jumped on the trains on their way through the city and stole 
whatever they could find unguarded. The thieves operated 
generally at night while the passengers were dozino-. 

One morning at about half past three o'clock Gault was stand- 
ing secreted in a doorway on the lookout for these car thieves. 
The ground was covered with newly fallen snow ; the night was 
still and clear. The only sound that could be heard by the 
policeman as he stood back in his hiding place was a distant 
tinkling of bells which denoted the approach of another train on 
its way to the Capital. Suddenly the snap of a whip and the 
voice of a driver speaking to his horses attracted Gault's attention, 
and he casually poked his head around the corner to see what was 



OUR POLICE. 237 

going on. Two hacks had just passed across the Lombard street 
bridge. By the bright starlight the policeman could see that the 
curtains in each of the carriages were drawn. The presence of 
two carriages with drawn curtains in that locality at that hour of 
the night was so unusual a thing that Gault determined to abandon 
his watch for the car thieves for a while and follow the strange 
vehicles at least until they had left his beat. 

The carriages plowed slowly along, turning up Concord street 
and finally wheeling suddenly into the narrow lane known as 
Hawk street, where they stopped before a small two-story house 
on the north side of the way. Five men instantly jumped out 
upon the pavement, and shouldering what appeared to be heavy 
sacks, carried a large number of them into the house. Then the 
hacks drove off, leaving the five men in the house. All this 
policeman Gault remarked from a position he had taken in the 
shadow of one of the market stalls opposite the opening of Hawk 
street. As soon as the carriages had passed out of sight the 
policeman made his way to where they had been standing. The 
footprints of the men were fresh in the snow and a dim light 
could be seen in one of the rooms on the upper floor of the little 
house. 

Convinced that some villainy was on foot Gault, immediately 
hunted up his sergeant and related to him what had occurred. The 
latter scouted at the young policeman's suspicions, intimating that 
new officers frequently got themselves into embarrassing positions 
by being over suspicious. Gault returned to his post. Though 
rebuffed he was not convinced, by the sergeant's assurances, and he 
again examined the ground in the neighborhood of Hawk street. 
As he passed the suspected house he heard sounds of footsteps 
within, and the slam of a door. 

More certain than ever that his suspicions of evil-doing were 
well founded Gault again hunted up his sergeant. After con- 
siderable argument the latter agreed to go to Captain Mitchell's 
house, wake him up, and submit the matter to him. The captain 
lived close by and within half an hour he returned with the 
sergeant. Gault then led the pair to Hawk street and showed 
them the footprints and carriage tracks, relating all the move- 



238 OUR POLICE. 

raents he had observed on the part of the five men. Captain 
Mitchell agreed with Mr. Gault that the affair bore a suspicious 
appearance, but he hesitated to adopt the plan which the policeman 
urged, of making a raid upon the house at once. After some 
minutes' deliberation the captain determined to get a warrant 
before entering the house. Leaving Gault on guard he hastened 
to the residence of a magistrate and procured the desired paper, 
with which he returned in a very short time. 

Gault was boiling over with impatience when the captain 
reached him. 

" Have you got it ?" he whispered eagerly. Captain Mitchell 
drew the document from his coat pocket by way of reply. 

" Now break right in," said the policeman in an excited voice, 
" and I'll stand out here on watch." 

The captain hesitated as if he did not relish the idea suggested. 
He looked the building over and finally exclaimed : " By Jove, 
I've left my pistol home ! " 

" Here," burst forth the young patrolman, as he thrust his 
revolver into the captain's hands, unable to control himself any 
longer; "you take my pistol and stand outside here and I'll go 
in." 

Half demurring, the captain took the weapon, and Gault, 
scarcely waiting to give the legal knock on the door, burst through 
and rushed up-stairs. Two little girls were in bed in the room 
at the head of the stair-case. They had been awakened by the 
crash and were rubbing their, eyes in astonishment when the 
policemen addressed them. It was then almost daylight! 

" Did you see some men come in here last night, carrying 
bags ? " thev were asked. 

"Yes sir," replied the elder of the children innocently. 
" They said they had corn for the chickens." 

" Where are the men now ? " 

"They went out the back way," said the child. "They're 
coming back again. They put the bags in that room." And 
she pointed to the adjoining chamber. 

Policeman Gault entered the room indicated. The shutters 
were closed and the light was very dim within. Finally the 



OUll POLICE. 239 

officer was able to make out all the contents of the apartment. 
A high old fashioned bed stood in one corner. Everything 
appeared to be in an orderly condition with the exception of the 
freshly scrubbed floor, which was stained with the prints of wet 
shoes. No traces of bags or packages were to be seen. The 
footprints led toward the bed. It struck the policeman that per- 
haps the stuff was hidden under it. He lifted the overhanging 
coverlet. As he did so he started back in amazement. The 
entire space under the bed was filled with great packages. He 
hauled them out one by one and found them to be large rolls of 
heavy cloth. Locking the door on the inside he climbed out of 
the windoAV upon the roof of the portico in front of the house 
and called to Captain Mitchell to come up. The captain was 
dumb with astonishment when he reached the room and saw the 
bundles lying on the floor before him. There could be no doubt 
that it was stolen property. After waiting half an hour in the 
hope that the thieves would return, Captain Mitchell ordered 
Gault to fetch a large wagon to the house, and all the packages 
were removed to the Central station, where they were spread upon 
the floor to await an owner. 

About half-past eight o'clock Mr. Thompson, the proprietor of 
a fashionable tailoring establishment on Fayette street opposite 
the Mansion House, rushed into headquarters and and informed 
the marshal that his shop had been robbed the night before of 
every yard of cloth in it. The thieves had fairly stripped the 
place bare, even taking two pairs of shears with them. On being 
led across to the station-house the tailor recognized his property at 
once. Thanks to policeman Gault' s sagacity and his persistency in 
going ahead when he felt sure he was right, over seven thousand 
dollars worth of stolen property was recovered for its owner within 
three hours after the robbery and before the crime was discovered 
by the victim himself. 

The same day policeman Gault and several other officers suc- 
ceeded in arresting all the thieves by hunting for them among 
the well-known haunts of such characters, in the lower part of 
the city. They were identified by the landlady of the house on 
Hawk street as the -men who had hired her second floor, and the 



240 OUR POLICE. 

children picked them out as the same ones who had carried in the 
bundles on the night of the burglary. They were afterward 
convicted and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. 

It was on that fearful day in July, 1868, when Baltimore was 
swept by flood, and part of the town was fairly drowned beneath 
the waters which raged from the country about, that patrolman 
Gault discovered that he was not merely an enthusiastic police- 
man, but a man full of that noble desire to do good which impels 
one to risk his life for another's benefit. There was a great 
crowd of terror-stricken citizens standing in High street, near 
Front street, at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon of July 24. The 
yellow flood roared and writhed and twisted itself in apparent 
deviltry as it rushed on its path of destruction. On its breast 
was borne all manner of things : parts of houses, great tree 
trunks from which huge branches had been torn by the angry 
waters, chicken coops, furniture, produce — but look ! what is this 
floating upon the tossing waves, half hidden at times by the 
billows, but always rising with them, always cresting them — 
making them sacred even in their maddened rush for prey ? It 
comes nearer the great crowd ; it is upon them, abreast of them, 
and within the cradle which rides the flood a babe looks out and 
smiles upon the thousand men who stand awe-stricken at the 
strange sight. There is no motion in the crowd ; not a hand is 
waved, not a tongue is loosened as the cradle with its precious 
burden sweeps by, the wreckage apparently making way for 
it. Again look ! a man darts from the midst of the crowd ; 
he wears the familiar uniform of a policeman ; his head is bare, 
his hair streaming in the wind and tossing spray. Over he goes 
into the raging waters, and amid the cheers of the crowd swims 
towards the castaway. Tree trunks intervene ; great masses . of 
wreckage interpose themselves, but nothing daunts the brave man 
who struggles toward the object of his endeavors. Struck now 
and forced back by some heavy drift he begins all over again, and 
with set teeth grasps the cradle. The baby smiles at him and 
then gives a little crow of delight as the rescuer's weight tilts the 
cradle to one side. Little it knows how near it has been to the 
end. The policeman landed many squares below the place where 



OUR POLICE. 241 

he leaped into the flood, but the crowd had followed him, and as 
he stepped ashore and handed the little one to a lady who was 
standing near, the immense crowd surged about him and made 
the air ring with cheers. 

Three hours after this Mr. Gault, still drenched from his 
heroic battle with the flood, again leaped into the water at 
Harrison and Gay streets, and in the presence of fully 500 
persons rescued John Steigel, after the latter had almost choked 
the brave officer to death. 

In the summer of 1876 Detective Gault gained much praise 
by his clever capture of a pickpocket in this city. One of the 
officials at the Union depot had put his aunt, an elderly lady, 
and her daughter on board a train. They were going to Hartford, 
Connecticut. Before the train left the Union depot a well- 
dressed gentleman who was stitting in a seat behind them, with 
much politeness assisted the ladies in disposing of their baggage, 
etc. As soon as they were comfortably seated he left the car, 
telling them that he was going into the " smoker " and would 
return. At that time it was customary for the trains from the 
Union depot to stop at Bay View junction to take on the cars 
that had come up from the President street station. Before they 
reached the junction the conductor went through the train 
collecting the tickets. Then the old lady suddenly discovered 
that her pocket-book, containing the tickets for herself and her 
daughter and about $20 in bills was missing. She supposed she 
must have lost it, and returned . to the Union depot much 
chagrined with the next train. When she told her nephew 
about the polite gentleman who had assisted her with her pack- 
ages the young man at once suspected that the " gentleman " had 
stolen the pocket-book. He reported the facts to the police 
headquarters. Detective Gault was assigned to look into the 
case. When he learned that the pocket-book contained two 
Hartford tickets, heat once determined to watch the " scalpers' ' 
offices, suspecting that the thief would try to sell the tickets. As 
the detective was loitering along Baltimore street in the neighbor- 
hood w T here the ''scalpers' " shops are located, he noticed a man 
answering the description given by the ladies of the polite 



242 OUR POLICE. 

stranger walking along scanning the signs in front of the ticket 
men's offices. Finally he walked into Mr. Spicer's, at the corner 
of Baltimore and St. Paul streets. After waiting a few moments 
for the fellow to open negotiations the detective entered and said r 

" I want to buy* a ticket for Hartford, Connecticut." 

The man turned towards him and remarked : "I have what 
you want. What'll you give for it ?" 

Then began considerable dickering over the price. Finally, 
the man turning to Gault, said sharply: "Well, don't you want 
the ticket?" 

"Yes," retorted the officer, "I want the ticket and I want 
you, too." 

The man started back in amazement at first, and then laughed. 
" Well, what a chump I am !" he exclaimed. 

" That's so," said Gault; " you've been netted by the police 
again." 

The two went to the Central station, where the ladies were 
sitting. As the officer and his prisoner entered the old lady 
turned to her daughter and said : 

" Why, Annie, there is the gentleman who was so kind and 
polite to us while on the train. I wonder what he can be doing- 
here." 

" This is the gentleman, ladies," replied Gault, " who relieved 
you of your pocketbook this morning." 

John Elbright was about twelve years ago one of the most 
prominent manufacturers of rubber goods in New York. His 
family consisted of his wife and one daughter, whom he loved 
with an affection so deep that it was frequently remarked by 
his many friends. The daughter had some little money in 
her own right. Mr. Elbright was worth nearly a million of 
dollars. Christine, Miss Elbright's given name, was of impetuous 
nature, quick to take affront at the slightest occasion, and more 
than ready to do things for which she was quickly sorry. One 
morning at breakfast something did not please her and she spoke 
sharply to her mother, who, quite as quick-tempered as her 
daughter, turned in her chair and boxed the young girl's ears. 
Christine said nothing. An ominous frown gathered on her 



OUR POLICE. 243 

forehead ; she bit her lips until the blood trickled from them. 
Then, with an impulsive movement, she arose from her seat, and 
leaving her mother without a word of explanation rushed up- 
stairs. Hours passed. Christine did not appear. The night 
approached and with supper time came Mr. Elbright home 
again. 

" Why, where's Christine?" he inquired. 

His wife told him of the morning quarrel, and suggested that 
Christine was probably in her room pouting. Up rushed the 
father, and after knocking at his daughter's door and receiving 
no answer, threw it open. Christine was gone ! But she had 
left woeful traces behind. Upon her dressing table rested her 
magnificent black hair, which she had sheared off close to her 
head. That was all. No letter, nothing to indicate in what direc- 
tion she had gone or when she would return. She was gone 
without trace. A considerable sum of money which she had in 
her room and all her jewelry she took with her. The father fell 
in a swoon. Mrs. Elbright was attacked by brain fever and her 
life despaired of. John Elbright' s life was a ruined one. Detec- 
tives were employed and sent to all parts of the country to find 
some trace of the missing one. Every hour of delay seemed 
day's to the bereaved family. But it was of no use. Money 
could not find the object of two parents' love. All hope of ever 
finding her was lost. It was while in this despairing mood that 
Mr. Elbright visited Baltimore on business, He had promised 
his wife to devote all of his time to the search for Christine ; that 
he would not return home without some tidings of her. He visited 
a merchant friend of his during his stay in Baltimore, and told 
his pitiable story. 

" Why, Elbright," was his friend's exclamation, "I've got the 
very man you want. He'll find her if she's on top of the ground." 

The merchant was a believer in Mr. Gault, and the young 
policeman was sent for. Again Mr. Elbright recited his tale, 
his narration broken by sobs. Mr. Gault, too, appreciated the 
parent's agony, but that did not deter him from questioning the 
sorrow-stricken father with great care. At last he discovered 
that in Christine's room was found, with her hair, a time-table. 



244 OUR POLICE. 

and that part of it having the schedule of the Philadelphia, 
Wilmington and Baltimore railway upon it was missing. This 
was a very small clew, but it was none the less something to begin 
on. Mr. Gault learned, by further questioning, that Christine 
had greatly fancied Baltimore, and he immediately came to the 
conclusion: "Here she is." But it is as hard to find one person 
in a city of 400,000 inhabitants as a needle in a haystack. He 
visited all the fashionable boarding-houses in the city, believing 
that Christine would seek such a home. 

The search was fruitless. He then turned his attention to the 
religious institutions. The first one at which he applied was a 
home under the charge of the Sisters of Charity. The sister 
superior at once remembered a young woman of Christine's de- 
scription who had entered the institution and shortly afterward 
left it to become a governess in the home of a well-known banker 
in a fashionable part of the city. The detective found the girl 
there and brought her to the marshal's office. 

Meanwhile Mr. Elbright remained in Baltimore. He had 
offered Mr. Gault §1,000 if he would find his daughter, or at 
least bring some tidings of her that he might take home, and 
so save his wife's life. Time hung on his hands, for he counted 
every hour that lessened the time he still had to prosecute his 
search. Days went by and no tidings. There seemed to be no 
hope that his Christine would ever be found. One afternoon he 
sat in his friend's office. Again and again his daughter's face 
came before him, smiled into his, cast laughing glances into his 
eyes, wept with him, teased him, pleaded with him. But, alas ! 
all was but recollection ; the Christine that was. And now where 
was she? Perhaps degraded — no, not that; not his pretty 
Christine — his darling girl. Dead, perhaps, but not that other ! 
But still, where was she ? Had he left any stone unturned to 
find her ; was there the vaguest chance which he had not tried ? 
He could think of none. Tears filled his eyes, his head sank 
upon his breast, his weary brain throbbed with the great anxiety 
to find his child — to save both his wife's life and his own. He 
had forgotten his surroundings : he was alone with his thoughts. 



OUR POLICE. 245 

But hark ! there are footsteps without. His friend's voice is 
heard : 

" Hello, Gault ! You've got good news, haven't you ? 

" Hush," Mr. Gault replied. " Where is Mr. Elbright ?" 

" Within here; step in." 

There was no need to arouse the father. He had heard the 
conversation. There he sat with his hands stretched out upon 
the arms of his chair, his teeth clenched, his gaze concentrated 
upon the doorway through which Mr. Gault entered. 

" Dead ?" he whispered. 

"No," replied the policeman; "she is well, and is at police 
headquarters. She wants to see you." 

"Thank God ! Thank — thank !" and the old man fell to the 
floor in his joy. The good news was too much for him. He 
had fainted. 

But joy seldom kills. The aged manufacturer soon recovered 
his senses. He went to headquarters, and in the Commissioners' 
private room met his daughter. They stood gazing at each other 
a moment, and then, urged by the resistless waves of paternal 
and filial love, rushed into each other's arms. Then ensued the 
most pathetic scene ever remembered at police headquarters. So 
great was the joy of the reunited family that the father and 
daughter lost strength to stand. The two returned to their home, 
and the mother's life was saved. A short time after the finding 
of Christine Mr. Gault received a letter from Mr. Elbright, 
covering nearly twenty pages of foolscap, in which the latter 
sought to assure the former of the strength of his gratitude. 

Tolliver Harris was one of the most desperate negro criminals 
who ever made Baltimore his abode. He was a man of hercu- 
lean strength, the most vicious instincts, and endowed with more 
than ordinary shrewdness and intelligence. Some years ago, 
while Harris was living in Saluda, Virginia, he assaulted a young 
woman, and only escaped lynching by being sentenced to be 
hanged. But bolts and bars of the ordinary kind could not 
restrain Tolliver. His ingenuity came into play, and one night, 
while the keepers were congratulating themselves that they would 
not have long to wait before Tolliver would be out of their keep- 



246 OUR POLICE. 

ing, the negro was quietly making his way out of the prison and 
securing his freedom. There was great excitement in Saluda 
the following morning, when the citizens found that the law had 
been cheated of its victim. Circulars describing the ruffian were 
sent into every part of the country, but without any result. 
Tolliver's shrewdness made him disguise himself so effectually 
that none but persons who were familiar with his habits would 
have recognized him. He finally came to Baltimore and lived 
here for some time without being suspected of the crimes of 
which he was guilty. ■ It was not less than two years after his 
arrest that the chief of police of Saluda wrote to the marshal of 
police of this city, informing him that Tolliver Harris was living 
here in comparative security. The negro's crime was so dia- 
bolical, and his record so notorious, that the police were aroused 
into most determined energy. The marshal of police gave the 
case to Mr. Gault, and told him to see what he could do with it. 
Tolliver, it was known, would fight, and would sell his life 
dearly if it was necessary. Mr. Gault had already established 
his reputation as a man who, when he went after anything, seldom 
returned without it, and so considerable interest was manifested 
in the department regarding the outcome. 

It was very hard work to obtain in any sense a satisfactory 
clue regarding Tolliver's whereabouts. It was simply known 
that he was in Baltimore. Finally, Mr. Gault " located" him 
in the "Brick Yard," a section of the city inhabited at that time 
by the most degraded negroes. One particularly unpleasant 
night in January, while the rain was falling in torrents, Mr. 
Gault and another officer set out on their quest. When they 
arrived at a place near which Tolliver lived, Mr. Gault began 
to make inquiries. But these questions were without much result 
until he found a little pickaninny, whom he asked : 

" Does a lady named Mrs. Harris live about here ? 

" Oh, yaas, sah," was the reply. " She lib right ober 
yender." 

" And is her husband's name Tolliver?" 

" Oh, yaas, sah, dat are hees name, sah," was the cheering 
reply. 



OUR POLICE. 247 

" Is he in, do you know ?" 

"No, sah ; he down among de canaal boats, sah, He work- 
ing de coal." 

Here was a pleasant predicament for Mr. Gault. He was 
with 'his companion, the only white man within a radius of many 
squares. It is true that they were both heavily armed, but what 
effect would that fact have upon a thousand maddened negroes, 
who would assemble about them when they discovered the police- 
men's intentions. The officers had nothing to do, however, save 
to stand without in the blinding storm and wait for Tolliver's 
return. This they did for nearly two hours, and succeeded in 
getting chilled through. Finally, Mr. Gault said : 

" I'm going into Tolliver's house and wait for him. A tussle 
out here in the lot wouldn't be pleasant." 

Mr. Gault knocked on the door, and asked if Mr. Tolliver 
Harris was in. The woman who appeared said that her husband 
had not arrived home, but that she expected him almost every 
minute. What was the gentleman's business, and would he 
kindly come in ? Yes, Mr. Gault would come in. And then he 
perverted the truth in this wise : 

" I'm down in the Custom House, and came up this way to 
make a speech at a colored men's meeting near here. I've heard 
of Tolliver, and I called in with my brother here (indicating his 
companion) to get Tolliver to receive a half boat-load of coal for 
me at my house, and to fix a bin that I've got in my cellar." 

" Reckon he'll do it," said the woman. 

The officers remained in the ruffian's house fully half an hour 
before there was any evidence of Tolliver's returning. All this 
time Mr. Gault passed in telling of his friendship for the negro 
race, and rehearsing part of the speech which he said he was 
about to deliver. Suddenly the woman exclaimed : 

" There they come !" 

" Who ?" inquired Mr. Gault, with considerable anxiety, as it 
would be a serious predicament for him to be in if Tolliver 
should appear with a gang and discover who his visitors were. 

" Why, Tolliver and his brother," was the reply. 

And sure enough two big negroes entered the room. Either 



248 OUR POLICE. 

one of them was physically a match for both of the detectives. 
But nothing daunted, Mr. Gault arose and said, before Tolliver 
had a chance to think anything about the call, what he had 
already told Mrs. Harris, adding, however, that he wanted him 
(Tolliver) to come right around to his house, as the meeting would 
not wait for him. 

" Take your brother with you, Tolliver," Mr. Gault suggested. 

It was necessary for the officers to get the negroes away from 
the neighborhood of their house, because if there was any rough 
work to be done the noise of the struggle or the reports of the 
pistols would alarm the whole neighborhood, and the police- 
men would never leave the place alive. Tolliver seemed con- 
tented to leave the house with his brother, and so started out. The 
four men chatted together on their way down town, but the offi- 
cers could not in any way persuade the negroes to walk in front 
of them. Finally the party got down nearly to Baltimore street, 
in the more frequented part of the city. The negroes were very 
close behind the officers, and Mr. Gault turned suddenly, grabbed 
at Tolliver, but the negro leaped aside towards the street, where 
he ran into a horse and knocked the animal out into the car -track. 
Then Tolliver ran like a deer up the street. Bang, bang, went 
the officers' revolvers, and Mr. Gault and his companion pursued. 
But it was hard to " wing" Tolliver. On, on he went, gradually 
increasing his distance until, as luck had it, the fugitive tumbled 
upon a gutter covering, and before he had regained his feet Mr. 
Gault was upon him using the butt of his revolver as a club. 
Mr. Gault hammered the negro's head until it was a mass of 
blood, and after a terrible struggle, in which both the prisoner 
and his captor were nearly exhausted, got the handcuffs on 
the captive. As Mr. Gault did this he turned and saw Tolliver's 
brother standing by looking on. 

"What are you doing there? " the officer shouted, presenting 
his revolver and firing three shots over the darkey's head. Harris 
never answered, but started on a lope down the street, every now 
and then turning his affrighted face over his shoulder to see if 
Mr. Gault was following. He did not stop until he got home, 
and then he rushed in carrying the door with him. After several 



OUR POLICE. 249 

struggles with his prisoner, Mr. Gault got him to the Central 
station. Tolliver was sent back to Saluda, where he is now serving 
a term of 25 years, to which his death sentence was afterward 
commuted. 

Mr. Gault had an exceedingly exciting experience in 1876. 
In August of that year the citizens of Frederick City, Md., and 
the farmers in the vicinity, complained to the Governor that 
householders and respectable persons of all classes were held in 
the most abject terror by a gang of ruffians which made Sugar- 
loaf Mountain its rendezvous. These complaints multiplied daily, 
until one morning the entire county was aroused by a dastardly 
crime committed by two members of the gang, Scot Andrews and 
Charles Nichols. These men ravished a mountain girl of great 
beauty, and left her on the side of the Sugarloaf for dead. This 
crime was the climax. Governor Carroll called the attention of 
the Baltimore police to it, and Marshal Gray detailed Detective 
Gault to find the men and arrest them. The search was a long 
and dangerous one. The criminals were leaders of as desperate 
a gang as ever dwelt in the Maryland mountains. But Mr. 
Gault was sent to get them, and he no more turned back than a 
sleuth-hound does when after his quarry. He followed these men, 
accumulating evidence against them all the while, through Mary- 
land and Ohio, and finally into the mountain districts of the 
latter State. He at last located them in a place named Black 
Creek. It was a mere hamlet, consisting of a few houses, one 
or two stores, a tavern, and a flag pole. 

This place Mr. Gault entered as a " drummer." He announced 
to the assembled villagers that he had a fine stock of Irish linens 
and plaids, and that he was prepared to sell them cheap. The 
appearance of a " drummer" had never occurred before in Black 
Creek, and the hamlet immediately began to assume the import- 
ance of a commercial centre. But while the villagers were dis- 
cussing the great mercantile significance of Mr. Gault' s visit, the 
latter was closeted with the sheriff, showing him his credentials 
as a detective, and asking for assistance in arresting the offenders. 
The sheriff assigned one deputy to the duty of helping Mr. Gault. 
It was then the detective's duty to ascertain where the criminals 



250 OUR POLICE. 

were, what their surroundings were, and the probable trouble he 
would experience in arresting them. These bits of information 
he was not long in securing, and not one of them was encouraging. 
They all pointed to the certainty of having an extremely hard 
time of it. But with the deputy sheriff, an officer who had 
accompanied him from Baltimore, and a guide, he sallied forth. 
The house in which the men lived was situated on the summit 
of a mountain, in the centre of a small clearing. The men 
who owned the house had the reputation of being moonshiners, 
among other accomplishments, and had acquired by long and 
uninterrupted industry the reputation of being particularly bad 
men. It was nearly dinner hour. Soon a woman made her 
appearance before the house, and presenting a great cow's horn, 
blew a blast that aroused all the echoes for miles around. It was 
the summons to dinner. In groups of two and three the moun- 
taineers could be seen approaching the house. 

" Which are the strangers, Sam?" Mr. Gault inquired of the 
guide. 

" There they be," was the reply as two stalwart young fellows 
came out of the forest. 

"Ah !" ejaculated Mr. Gault, meditatively as he felt for his 
revolvers. It was no use for him to try to persuade the deputy- 
sheriff or guide to accompany him into the house to arrest the 
men. They said they had families and lived in that section of 
the country, and if they were killed in any case like this their 
families would starve. There was nothing left for Mr. Gault to 
do but to go into the den of criminals alone, and take out of it 
two men who were giants in stature and extremely desperate. 
There was no one else to do it. So he stationed his aids at the 
front and rear of the house, among the forest trees, and then 
waited himself until the men had all seated themselves at dinner. 
Then he walked quietly up to the house, threw the doors of the 
dining room open, and said loudly : 

" Hello, Scot, how are you ! " 

The larger of the two men leaped to his feet and stammered : 
" H-h-how are — ," and extended his hand toward Mr. Gault, 
who rushed to him and snapped the "bracelets" on his wrists. 



OUR POLICE. 251 

To place another pair on the hands of his companion, Nicols, 
was the work of a moment, so surprised were they. Then the 
detective drew his formidable looking weapons, and said to the 
crowd : 

" Gentlemen, these are my prisoners, and the people of the 
State of Maryland want them. I'm going to take them home 
with me for ravishing a young girl. They are guilty, and they 
know it." 

At this a savage looking fellow arose from the head of the 
table, and said : " Then you ain't a revenue officer ? " 

"No," was Mr. Gault's reply. "I'm a Baltimore policeman, 
and I have followed these men all the way from Frederick City, 
Maryland. I want them for the crime I told you." 

" Then, by , you shall have them ! " came the answer. 

The prisoners were escorted down to Black Creek, and after 
some legal matters concerning the extradition papers were at- 
tended to, Mr. Gault and his prisoners boarded a train for 
Frederick City. There they found the militia drawn up in a 
hollow square to receive them. Andrews and Nicols were subse- 
quently tried, but such was the public terror of the gang to 
which they belonged, and because during the trial the gang 
threatened the jurymen with destruction of their property if their 
verdict was unfavorable to the prisoners, no agreement was reached. 

In the latter part of June, 1876, a Pole named Joseph Lewan- 
dowski robbed one of his countrywomen named Mrs. Lenka, 
who lived in the lower part of the city, of her life's savings, 
amounting to between $2,000 and $3,000. Mrs. Lenka notified 
the police and the marshal placed the matter in the hands of 
Detective Gault. After a long and persistent search the latter 
learned that Lewandowski had been living in Detroit, Michigan, 
dissipating the stolen money. The detective hurried to Detroit, 
but only to find that his man had changed his residence to the 
Canadian side of the Detroit river. By means of a decoy letter 
from a Polish girl whom the thief had betrayed during his stay 
in Michigan, Lewandowski was enticed on to United States soil 
and promptly arrested. 

With his manacled prisoner in charge the Baltimore detective 



252 OUR POLICE. 

started for home. Lewandowski was quiet and obedient all the 
first day of the journey and gave no trouble to his captor. On 
the second day, however, he frequently complained of cramps in 
the bowels. Detective Gault removed the man's handcuffs when- 
ever he was attacked with pains and accompanied him to the 
men's toilet-room. He locked the irons in his hand-bag which 
he kept in the rack over his seat. The detective found himself 
obliged to do this as the passengers persisted in handling the 
manacles when he left them on the seat. His pistol was also in 
the hand-bag. A little before noon he and his prisoner returned 
from the toilet-room. The detective reached up for the bag to 
take the irons from it. When he turned again Lewandowski was 
half-way up the car rushing towards the open door. 

"Stop him! Stop him!" cried Gault, frantically, as he 
dashed after the fleeing criminal ; but no one moved. 

The detective reached the platform just as the fellow stooped 
down and jumped from the car. They were speeding along at 
the rate of thirty-five miles an hour. Gault called to the con- 
ductor, who was sitting at the other end of the car, to stop the 
train. The latter did so at once, but before they could come to 
a stand-still, nearly a mile had been put between the detective 
and his desperate prisoner. Gault started on a run down the 
track. It was in the midst of the wild mountain country along 
the border between West Virginia and Ohio. Not a human habi- 
tation was in sight. The detective finally came to the spot where 
the Pole had jumped from the train. The marks in the soft sand 
showed plainly where the man had fallen ; but he had disap- 
pear! and there was no trace to indicate what direction he had 
taken in his flight. On all sides were tall, craggy mountains. 
Across a narrow marsh which bordered on the track was the 
mouth of a deep ravine. Believing it most likely that the man 
would start for this point in trying to make his escape, the detec- 
tive hazarded the chance and followed in that direction. The 
ravine finally led up a steep mountain-side. On and on went the 
pursuer, fording swift-running brooks, dodging under the trunks 
of fallen trees and climbing over moss-covered rocks, scarcely no- 
ticing whither his way led, only scanning the woods eagerly for 



OUR POLICE. 253 

some trace of the object of his chase. For two long hours the 
detective pushed onward, and still he found no mark of the flee- 
ing man. At last, having come nearly to the summit of the 
mountain, he sank worn out and disheartened upon a bank of 
moss. Deploring his bad luck he was about to turn back from 
his fruitless chase, when suddenly he noticed on the ground a 
little way ahead of him a fresh wa d of brown tissue paper. The 
sight made the detective leap from his resting-pace. On the 
train he had handed Lewandowski a similar wad of paper and the 
man had put it in his coat pocket. Running on a few rods fur- 
ther Gault reached a small rocky plateau, the very summit of the 
mountain. Below there stretched out a beautiful green valley. 
The instant the detective glanced down over the scene his eye fell 
on the form of a man walking across a small clearing by the side 
of a brook, almost a mile aw^ay. Gault recognized Lewandowski 
at once. The latter saw his pursuer at the same moment, and 
tearing off his boots and coat ran like a deer. The detective tum- 
bled rather than ran down the steep mountain-side. Finally he 
reached the spot where he had seen his prisoner. The man's 
coat and boots lay upon the ground where he had thrown them, 
but there were no signs of footprints visible. Following up the 
direction which he had seen the man take, the detective was just 
about- passing by the mouth of a second ravine, when in a muddy 
place he spied the tracks of a man's bare feet. With renewed 
hope he ran on through the ravine, finally coming out upon a 
railroad track at the other end of it, where a gang of men were at 
work. They stood leaning against their picks and shovels and 
looking down the track as if something unusual had just attracted 
their attention. Gault called out to them asking if they had 
seen anybody running in that direction ? 

u Yes, a barefooted man just ran into the woods down there," 
replied the foreman of the gang. " What's the matter ?" 

" He has murdered a man, and there is a $1,000 reward for 
his arrest," replied the detective, breathlessly, hoping to induce 
some of the laborers to aid him in the chase by exciting their 
cupidity. But the ruse was of no avail. Gault was obliged to 
keep up the pursuit alone. After going about three-quarters of 



254 OUR POLICE. 

a mile further he came to a farm-house. The farmer stood in the 
yard with a hoe over his shoulder. On the porch a young woman 
lay screaming hysterically, while two other women were endeavor- 
ing to calm her. The farmer, in reply to inquiries, told Gault 
that a man had rushed through his house a few moments before, 
knocking down furniture and frightening his daughter into a 
spasm. They thought the fellow was mad. He had run through 
the farm-yard and up the mountain in the rear. The farmer 
could not be induced to join in the chase, so the detective was 
again obliged to continue alone. He forged his way up the side 
of the mountain, which was wet from recent rains. The crimi- 
nal's foot-prints were plainly visible. When he had gone about 
a quarter of a mile the detective heard the cracking of a twig, 
and looking ahead of him he saw Lewandowski standing behind 
a large tree. The man was panting for breath. The perspiration 
was rolling from his body. His eyes protruded from their sock- 
ets and gave his livid countenance a frightful appearance. For 
several seconds the two men stood facing each other, both trying 
to recover breath for the terrible struggle that was about to ensue. 
The Pole was stout and. muscular, but the detective though a 
much smaller man was in better condition. The silence was 
broken by the latter. 

"Gome down here and surrender," he shouted, "or I'll blow 
your brains out !" And Gault reached around as if to draw his 
pistol, although he knew he had no weapon with him. 

The maddened criminal made some reply in his own tongue 
and rushed at the detective. The two men clinched. Down the 
hill-side they rolled together, struggling desperately all the time, 
into a puddle of soft mire. Finally Gault by his superior knowl- 
edge of wrestling succeeded in getting on top and forced the pris- 
oner's face deep into the mud. Being unable to breathe, the 
man's struggles soon ceased, and when the detective lifted him up 
he was in a condition of semi-consciousness. When he could 
speak again he agreed to surrender and was led to the farm-house, 
where his captor tied his elbows together behind his back. A 
small flag-station of the railroad was near by, and within an hour 



OUR POLICE. 255 

the detective and his prisoner were again on their way to Balti- 
more. 

As they boarded the train the men were in a most painful con- 
dition. They were covered with blood and mire and their cloth- 
ing was in shreds. Gault had left his ticket and his money in 
his satchel on the other train, and not being able to pay the fares, 
the conductor was on the point of putting the two off the train 
when a gentleman who knew the detective happened along and 
lifted him out of his dilemma. At Grafton Mr. Gault recovered 
his satchel, which had been left there by the conductor of the 
other train. 

The two men arrived in Baltimore the following morning. 
The news of Lewandowski's escape had been telegraphed on the 
night before and the Marshal expected to receive Gault without 
his prisoner. He was no less surprised than gratified, therefore, 
at seeing the detective enter the office in company with the 
Pole. 

Gault' s own right arm was in a sling, and two of his fingers 
were broken. Lewandowski pleaded guilty of robbing Mrs. 
Lenka and was sentenced to five years imprisonment in the 
Maryland penitentiary. 

Mr. Gault's experiences have been so many that there is not 
space enough in a brief biographical notice to give any but the 
briefest of them. There have been very few important cases 
in the detective department during the last ten years in which 
he has not figured very prominently. As an evidence of what 
his superiors think of his ability, it is only necessary to say that 
he has at present the most important regular assignment of any 
man in the squad. He is detailed to guard the banks and 
moneyed institutions of the city. 

Detective George W. Seibold was born in Saratoga street, 
near Fremont street, on February 15, 1839. He leceived his 
early education in the public schools of this city. As a young 
man he was employed in various businesses until 1863, when on 
July 28, he received an appointment as patrolman in the 
Western district, the headquarters of which was then the old 
Greene street station. On December 8, 1864, he was made a 



256 OUR POLICE. 

sergeant, and the following winter, on December 13, was pro- 
moted to be lieutenant. He served in that capacity until April 
23, 1867, when the force was reorganized. The new commis- 
sioners appointed him a reserve officer and acting clerk at the 
Western district station, under his former captain, William H. 
Cassell, who was reappointed. On March 23, 1874, he received 
a commission as a patrol sergeant, which position he held until 
he joined the detective squad, on September 6, 1881, taking the 
place of William C. Crone, who resigned. 

On January 14, 1871, when a reserve officer under Captain 
Cassell, Mr. Seibold arrested "Dr." Ernest Schaar, a notorious 
confidence man and swindler, whose victims were generally poor 
persons. His method was to go to some German grocer, and 
showing a lot of receipts and papers, say that he had a small 
quantity of tea, coffee, or sugar in a warehouse in the business por- 
tion of the city. It was, he would explain, the remnant of a large 
stock which he had just closed out. He would bargain with the 
grocer to sell the goods at a sacrifice, and would induce him to send 
his wife or a boy with a basket to get the stuff, telling the man to 
give them the money to pay him. He would then conduct the boy 
or woman to the alleged warehouse, which was always situated on 
the corner of two streets, so as to have a side entrance. Arriving 
at the place, he would tell his victim to give him the money and 
wait for him on the sidewalk till he brought down the goods. 
Then he would go into the office of the warehouse, and after 
asking a question or two of some clerk, slip out of the side 
entrance to the building and disappear. The charge upon which 
Schaar was arrested by Officer Seibold was preferred by John 
Schutte, a shopkeeper in the eastern part of the city, from whom 
Schaar got ten dollars in the manner described. The swindler 
was convicted and sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment in 
the Maryland penitentiary. 

On August 24, 1872, Detective Seibold, who was then patrol 
sergeant at the Western Station, arrested John Connell, alias 
William Baldwin, a clever burglar, whose portrait adorns the 
rogues' galleries of many cities. He was charged with breaking 
into and robbing the dwellings of Messrs. George Biscoe and 



OUR POLICE. 257 

Lewis M. Cole, near Woodbury, Baltimore County. Connell 
was convicted at Towsontown and sent to the penitentiary for 
five years from March 10, 1873. He was again arrested on 
February 12, 1883, by Detectives Seibold and Droste, charged 
with robbing the dwelling of Mrs. Olivia Kimberly, on Calhoun 
street, and four other houses on Hollins street. He pleaded 
guilty, and was again sentenced to the Maryland penitentiary 
for five years. Connell always worked alone. The silverware, 
clothing, etc., that he stole from the houses on Hollins street he 
hid in the cellar of a vacant building in the same row. The 
detectives arrested him while he was at supper in an eating-house 
near the Broadway Market. 

In the early summer of 1874, the residences of Andrew Reid 
at No. 75 Mount Vernon Place, and Mrs. C. 0. Bassford, at No. 
313 Park avenue, were entered, the thief carrying away large 
quantities of clothing, jewelry, etc. Sergeant Seibold arrested 
William H. Dorsey, colored, on suspicion of being the burglar. 
When searched Dorsey was found to have some of the stolen 
articles on his person, and other stolen articles were recovered 
from wmere he had secreted them. He was convicted and sen- 
tenced to the Maryland penitentiary for five years and four 
months, from October, 1874. He was arrested on July 13. 
The long time which elapsed between his arrest and his trial was 
caused by the obstructions which the man's counsel put in the 
way of the prosecuting officers. A removal of the case to another 
county was demanded, and the trial took place in Baltimore 
county. This was not the first time Mr. Seibold arrested Dorsey. 
In October, 1869, the policeman, with Sergeant Cadwallader, 
now captain of the Western district, arrested him and another 
negro burglar, named Wilson, for entering the dwellings of J. R. 
Clark, Thomas H. Folsom, Leander Warren, Mrs. Theodore 
Appold, and others, and stealing more than $3,000 worth of goods. 
Dorsey turned State's evidence at his trial and escaped punish- 
ment. His father then sent him to Navassa Island. On his return 
in 1874, he again began to commit the burglaries which ended 
in his arrest. 

Sergeant Seibold, in company with officer Connery, of the 



258 OUR POLICE. 

Northwestern district, on November 17, 1876, arrested William 
Jennis, colored, alias Brooks, alias Joe Russell, a notorious 
burglar and sneak, who was charged with burglariously entering 
the dwellings of Mr. P. E. Kent, No. 85 North Carey street; 
Mr. Moses Kahn, No. 266 West Fayette street ; H. R. Williar, 
North Carey street, and others, and stealing money, silverware, 
jewelery, clothing, etc. He was tried and convicted in the 
Criminal Court of Baltimore, and sentenced to the penitentiary for 
six years, from January 27, 1877. Jennis was arrested also on 
February 20, 1874, for robbing the dwelling of Mr. George W. 
Flack, No. 142 Mulberry street. He then gave the name of 
Joseph Russel. He was sent to the penitentiary for one year. 
This man worked alone, and invariably entered a dwelling house 
from the rear by climbing sheds, porches or lattice work to the 
second story window, while the family was below at supper. He 
always used the old fashioned blue head sulphur matches, which 
were found plentifully strewn about the floors, in the bureau 
drawers, etc. His work was frequently identified by these 
matches. About six months after his last release from prison, he 
went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and robbed several houses 
there. He was caught, tried, and sent to Cherry Hill prison for 
twelve years. 

Shortly after his appointment as a detective, Mr. Seibold 
became officially connected with the sensational case of Harriet 
Dennis, alias a score of other names, the colored female Fagin 
whose villanies caused so much horror in this city when they were 
discovered, in November, 1881. Harriet Dennis was a repulsive 
looking negress, about forty years of age. She was in the habit 
of answering advertisements inserted in the newspapers for cooks. 
She had a little girl with her which lent her an appearance of 
respectability, and usually aided her in securing situations. As 
soon as she was installed in a place she would locate the money 
and valuables in the house and remain long enough to get an 
opportunity to steal them. She would then hastily decamp and 
disappear from the city, turning up some weeks afterward with 
a new name, and repeat her operation in some other house. The- 
little girl she used as a spy to find out the location of the valua- 






OUR POLICE. 259 

bles, and afterward as a guard to warn her if anybody should 
approach while she was engaged in the stealing. This woman 
continued her depredations in the city and in Baltimore county 
for two years before she was finally captured. At last, on 
November 6, 1881., Mr. Samuel Rosenthal made a complaint that 
his house had been robbed of a watch and chain and other articles, 
and at the same time a new colored cook whom his wife had 
engaged the previous day had disappeared. Detectives Seibold 
and Gault were assigned to the case. They came to the conclu- 
sion that the colored cook was Harriet Dennis, notwithstanding 
the fact that this time she had no child with her. Being led to 
suspect from several circumstances that the negress would attempt 
to pawn the stolen articles at a certain pawnbroker's office, De- 
tective Seibold went to the place and disguising himself as a clerk 
there, waited for developments. They were not long in trans- 
piring, for on the following morning the looked-for negress ap- 
peared with the watch and chain. The detective waited on the 
thief, and she showed him a note purporting to come from a woman 
on Raborg street, asking for a loan of $20 on the property. 
Recognizing the watch as the one belonging to Mr. Rosenthal, 
Detective Seibold arrested the negress. On finding herself cap- 
tured at last, she broke into loud and violent lamentations. She 
was conducted to the marshal's office and searched. Among other 
things found on her person was a fetich bag, or " lucky bag," as 
she called it, a small leathern pouch filled with herbs, small pieces 
of bones, fragments of leaves, etc. When this was taken from 
her the woman burst into violent weeping again and begged pite- 
ously to have it returned to her. She admitted that she was the 
person who had committed so many robberies within the previous 
two years. When asked where the little girl was who had accom- 
panied her on previous occasions, the woman stubbornly refused to 
answer. She admitted, however, that the child was not her daugh- 
ter, but asserted that the little one was an orphan who had been 
given to her to care for. The detectives having captured the 
woman, were determined to complete their undertaking, and find- 
ing a clew to the place where she was in the habit of taking 
refuge after having committed a theft, they went thither and 



260 OUR POLICE. 

learned that the girl was living with a respectable family in Greene 
street, near Lombard street, in this city. At this dwelling the 
girl was discovered and taken to police headquarters, where she 
described in detail the actions of the woman. Among other 
things she said that Dennis had had her arrested on Christmas 
eve of the previous year on the charge of stealing a dollar, and 
sent to Towsontown jail, so as to prevent her from exposing the 
thefts, as she had threatened to. The girl had by that time 
become old enough to understand the criminality of the deeds, 
and she had refused to participate in them any longer. As it was 
proved that the woman had put the money on the girl for the 
purpose of convicting her, the prisoner was released. The girl 
then said that the woman was not her mother, and had stolen her 
from her parents and taught her to steal. The police records 
were searched and a clew obtained which finally led to the 
reuniting of the girl and her parents. It was discovered that on 
January 20, 1873, nearly eight years previously, Ida Reilly, aged 
seven years, daughter of John and Victoria Reilly, colored, had 
been kidnapped from her parents' house on the Philadelphia road, 
by, it was supposed, a colored woman who lived next door, and 
who had disappeared at the same time, leaving her husband behind 
her. The parents of the child had advertised for their missing 
daughter, and searched everywhere without success, though in 
one instance the woman came near being detected by a piece of 
dress pattern which she had left at her home. The parents, who 
had given up all hope of ever finding their child, were taken before 
the girl. The moment the mother, father, and daughter were 
brought into each other's presence a striking resemblance was 
noticeable. They gazed at one another, trembling in every limb, 
and as each point of recognition, such as a mark on the girl's 
throat, and her recollection of past scenes and incidents were 
brought out, the father and mother gave utterances to their feel- 
ings in illiterate, but pathetic exclamations, while the little one 
cried and shook with joy. To establish the child's identity beyond 
dispute, all three persons were taken before the woman Dennis, 
•who confessed having stolen the girl, and corroborated all that 
she had asserted concerning her parents, and Mr. and Mrs. Reilly 



OUR POLICE. 261 

returned home overcome with joy, taking their daughter with 
them. The woman Dennis was tried and convicted of stealing 
Mr. Rosenthal's watch, and Judge Pinckney sentenced her to 
four years imprisonment in the penitentiary. 

On January 19, 1882, Detective Seibold captured August 
Schumann alias Walters, alias Miller, alias Brennan. The 
story of his career is exceedingly interesting. He was born in 
Germany in 1821, of a wealthy and respected Bavarian family 
living in Berlin. He studied for the priesthood. Like many 
other young German students, whether ecclesiastical or otherwise, 
his habits became dissolute. One time as a favor to one of the 
professors of his university, who was ill, he went with a large 
draft to a bank and cashed it, returning the money to its owner. 
Noticing how readily the bank paid the money to him, he forged 
another draft a few days later for a still larger amount. The 
bank cashed it without question, and the young man sailed for 
America. Here he became acquainted with a large number of 
priests, and lived for many months upon the hospitality of the 
pastors of various Catholic churches, usually departing only after 
cleverly swindling his benefactors out of a sum of money, larger 
or smaller, as the opportunity offered. He traveled in this way 
nearly all over the United States, and accumulated a small fortune 
before he was caught, and sentenced to a short term in prison for 
a small offence in Wisconsin. Upon his release he made a long 
tour through South and Central America, and finally went to 
Australia. In Sydney, N. S. W., he was convicted of swindling 
and sentenced to five years imprisonment. After serving this 
term he returned to the United States. His second career here 
was not so successful as his first, for he was caught several times 
and suffered a number of sentences of from one to three years 
before he came to Baltimore, where Detective Seibold captured 
him. 

In December, 1882, he gained the confidence of Father Zeigler 
of Saint Alphonsus' church, and left a number of papers and 
bogus checks in the priest's hands. On December 23, he ap- 
peared at the priest's house and said that he was pressed for 
money. It being after banking hours the priest saw no harm in 



262 OUR POLICE. 

cashing a check for $400, and did so without any hesitation. 
On the following day when he presented the check for payment, 
the reverend gentleman was amazed to learn that it was worthless. 
The authorities were notified, but Schumann was no where to be 
found, so quiet was his actions, until the middle of January 
following. On the fifteenth of that month, he called upon Father 
Danenhower, of St. James' Catholic church, and requested him 
to cash several checks. The priest pursuaded Schumann to leave 
the papers, which he did. The former then immediately went to 
the banking house of Messrs. Nicholson & Sons, where his suspi- 
cions that the checks were worthless were verified. The police 
authorities were notified at once. Detective Seibold was detailed 
upon the case. After a diligent search of three days he found 
the man in a house in Hanover street. Schumann was convicted 
on the charge of obtaining §400 from Father Ziegler and sen- 
tenced to two years imprisonment. His portrait has graced 
Baltimore's rogues' gallery for many years. 

During the years 1882 and 1883 Mr. Cowman, of the dry- 
goods firm of M. Cowman & Co., was annoyed by having his 
store robbed at short intervals of small sums of money. These 
robberies, he discovered, after they had continued for some time, 
always took place at night, and the money was usually ab- 
stracted from a tin box which was kept under the regular 
money-drawer. He suspected all of his employees in turn, 
until he satisfied himself of each one's innocence. The pecu- 
liar feature ^as that although the doors of the shop, having 
been locked securely at night, were always found undisturbed 
the next morning, the peculations continued with unbroken 
regularity. Sometimes not more than $3 would be taken, at 
other times as much as $10. Mr. Cowman at last called upon 
the police for help. Detective Seibold was detailed upon the 
case. For some nights he and Mr. Cowman watched the en- 
trance to the store from a position on the opposite side of the 
street. No one was seen to enter, still it was found that 
money had been stolen. At last the detective asked to be 
locked up alone in the store. This was done by Mr. Cowman 
after all the employees had left in the evening. At half-past 



OUR POLICE. 263 

ten o'clock, while he was sitting in the back part of the shop 
without any light other than that which shone in from an elec- 
tric lamp on the opposite side of the street, detective Seibold 
heard a noise in a rear room. A few moments afterward the 
transom over the door just above the officer's head was opened, 
and the woolly skull of a young negro appeared. An instant later 
his body came through the opening and the fellow let himself 
drop softly down upon the floor. Although it was almost quite 
dark in the place at the time, the negro noticed a shadow where 
the detective was sitting. He turned to advance that way when 
Mr. Seibold sprang at his throat, wrenching it so as to render 
him unconscious for a few moments. The " nippers" were on 
the burglar's wrists before he recovered his senses. Dragging 
his prisoner to the front of the store, Detective Seibold rapped 
on the glass of the front door and Mr. Cowman unlocked it for 
him. The negro turned out to be James Gates, who had been 
employed by Cowman & Co. about two years previously. He con- 
fessed that he had been getting through a small window in the 
rear of the establishment ever since he was discharged, by going 
up a small alley back of the store. Gates was convicted and 
sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment in the peni- 
tentiary. 

Detective Seibold went to New York city on May 26, 1884, 
and in company with Detective Thomas F. Adams, of Inspector 
Byrnes' staff, arrested August Lydecker alias George Kline, the 
confidence man and swindler, who was charged with obtaining a 
gold watch and chain valued at $75, by means of a worthless check 
passed on Mr. Charles F. Wagler, the jeweler in West Pratt street. 
Lydecker was brought back on a requisition. In the autumn of 

1886, after being released, Lydecker remained in Baltimore until 
December 1, when he went to New York city, and on February 15, 

1887, he went to Tiffany's jewelry store, and representing him- 
self as a nephew of the Rev. Dr. Sayle, and upon presenting a 
forged letter of credit, obtained a valuable gold watch and 
chain, was caught almost immediately near the store by a special 
officer employed by the firm. He was convicted and sent to 



264 OUR POLICE. 

Sing Sing prison for eight years. Lydecker on one occasion 
went to a prominent undertaker in Broadway, New York, in 
great distress, and said that a particular friend of his had died, 
and that he wanted him buried as nicely as he could afford. He 
selected a casket and gave the undertaker the number of the 
house in which the dead man was lying. Then telling the under- 
taker to make out the bill, which was $55, he gave him a check 
for $75, getting $20 change. When the undertaker went to de- 
liver the casket he found that there was no dead man in the 
house. 

On February 15, 1887, Detective Seibold accomplished a very 
clever piece of work and made an important arrest in Ellicott 
City. On the Saturday night previous to the arrest, the dwell- 
ing of Mr. Isaac Strassburger, in Main street, Ellicott City, 
was entered during the absence of the family. The thief broke 
open a trunk containing a pocketbook in which was $200, made 
up of one $100 bill, four $20 bills, two $5 bills and $10 in silver. 
Chief of Police Yansant considered the robbery a very myste- 
rious one. Captain of detectives Freburger, in this city, was 
applied to for assistance. He detailed Detective Seibold to 
cover the case. After consulting with the Ellicott City chief 
of police, the detective learned that suspicion pointed to a colored 
woman named Lizzie Johnston. The woman was known as a 
shrewd negress who, up to a month previously, had been a do- 
mestic in Mr. Strassburger 's family. She lived about half a 
mile from the city. Detective Seibold disguised himself as .a 
peddler, obtaining the outfit from a " fakir " who had been ar- 
rested a few days before in Ellicott City. Providing him- 
self with a small tin trunk which contained spectacles, suspend- 
ers and a few cheap watches, Detective Seibold started out to ply 
his new vocation. The woman Johnston was leaning out of the 
window when the detective rapped at a door several houses above, 
and waited until he came to her door, and after long dickering 
bought a silver watch for $6. 

" Can you change a note, sir?" asked the woman, 

"If not too large, madam," replied the peddler. 

The woman went into the basement, and after remaining ten 



OUR POLICE. 265 

minutes returned and gave the detective a new crisp $100 bill, 
which she said was $10. Giving her $4 change the detective 
left. Being satisfied that he had found the guilty party, he re- 
ported the fact to State's Attorney Joseph Maguire and Chief of 
Police Vansant. A search warrant was obtained and the woman 
was put under arrest. In the cellar of the house about $70 of 
the remaining money was recovered. This included three of the 
$20 bills and most of the silver coins. Having completed his 
work Detective Seibold returned to Baltimore covered with 
glory. The newspapers contained detailed accounts of his ad- 
venture and he was loaded with congratulations. 

Detective Seibold while an officer in the old Western district 
made many very important arrests in connection with sergeant, 
now captain, Cadwallader. The district at that time included 
what are at present the Northwestern and the Southwestern 
districts. Mr. Seibold is well versed in the German language, 
and this fact has been of the greatest importance to him in his 
career as a detective. 

In the midst of the fertile agricultural lands of Howard 
county, Maryland, lie the well cultivated acres of farmer John 
W. Rhine. The old white farm-house, covered with running 
rose-vines and trumpet creeper, is half hidden from the broad 
Marriettsville turnpike, near which it stands, by a row of thick 
boughed young maples that line the road in front of the door 
yard. The 26th of April, 1886, had been a bright, warm, spring 
day, and Mr. Rhine and his two hired men, wearied after long 
hours of labor in the fields, retired to bed as soon as they finished 
their evening chores. A feeling of well-earned satisfaction filled 
the breast of the thrifty farmer as he closed the doors of his trim 
barn and granary, and glancing through the small windows saw 
his eight well-fed horses contentedly munching their evening oats. 

The moon was just rising over the distant hills into the starlit 
heavens when the last light in the farm-house was extinguished. 
All was still save for the merry chirrup of the crickets. The 
big black Newfoundland watch dog had buried his nose 
between his paws on the front porch after having made a final 
tour about the yard, when a sinister visaged old man with white 



266 OUR POLICE. 

hair and a stubby gray moustache clambered stiffly over a stone 
wall on the opposite side of the road and made his way silently 
toward the shadow of the budding maple trees. The man had a 
peculiar limping gait, and his clothing, as shown in the bright 
moonlight, was old and patched, like that of an ordinary farm 
hand. As he shuffled stealthily along under the trees the big 
dog came out to meet him. It was evident that the animal knew 
the man, for he did not bark at him, but walked along wagging 
his bushy tail and looking up into the old man's face in a manner 
that might have indicated surprise or wonderment on the part of 
the intelligent brute. At the entrance to the farm yard, a few 
rods beyond the house, the man stooped and caressed the dog for 
a moment. Then snapping his fingers for the animal to follow, 
he led him to a kennel close by. Suspicious, yet obedient, the 
dog allowed himself to be chained there, and then lay down 
quietly, as the old man left him and walked toward the barn. 
Passing around to the rear entrance he poked a stick up through 
a knot-hole in one of the boards, and lifting the latch on the 
inside, opened the door without a noise. A moment later the 
sound of horses' hoofs as they sprang to their feet in their stalls 
was heard, and then all was quiet again until the old man reap- 
peared leading a large heavily built bay mare out into the barn 
yard. He walked the animal around to the door of the granary, 
where he tied her to a ring in the side of the. building. Then by 
poking a stick through a knot-hole in the door, as before, he entered 
the granary. The sound of horses' hoofs was again heard, and in 
a few minutes the old man again reappeared leading a neat limbed 
young colt, across the back of which a blanket was strapped with 
a surcingle. Fastening the colt to the same ring to which he had 
tied the big mare, he loosened the latter and led her into the 
granary, where he left her. 

Then taking the docile colt by its headstall, the man made his 
way around the barn and down to the road, only stopping to 
speak a few low, pacifying words to the Newfoundland dog, which, 
at the sight of the colt, had begun to tug at his chain and growl. 
A short distance down the road the man again tied the colt and 
returned to the barn and granary, in each of which he remained 



OUK POLICE. 267 

for several minutes. When he left he did so hastily, looking 
cautiously about him, and then hobbling diagonally across the 
adjoining newly planted cornfield to the spot where he had left 
the colt. The animal suffered itself to be led close up to the 
stone wall, from which the old man clambered upon its back. 
They then disappeared quickly down the road. 

It had grown late, and some young farmers, a few minutes 
afterwards, were returning along the turnpike towards Carroll's 
Manor on their way home from a rural entertainment. They 
had passed by the thrifty looking farm-yard and were speaking, 
perhaps somewhat enviously, of farmer Rhine's well filled barn 
and granary, when suddenly a bright light burst out about them. 
Each man wheeled in his tracks as if moved by the same instinct. 
The entire roof of John Rhine's great barn was a mass of red, 
leaping flames. 

"Fire! Fire!" shouted the young men, as they ran back in 
the direction of the conflagration. 

When they drew nearer they saw that the granary was also in 
flames. They were too late to save anything. The fire fiend 
raged in complete control of his prey. It was impossible to ap- 
proach either building. Both were burning fiercely from within. 
Farmer Rhine and his family, suddenly awakened by the roar of 
the frames, stood helplessly by in scanty elothing as they saw the 
results of years of toil and economy wither away in the consuming 
fire. The hired men at first hurried to dash pails of water through 
the windows of the building, but it was a hopeless task, and the 
heat, too, grew so intense that they were driven away. Half 
dressed neighbors from adjoining farms began to hurry toward 
Mr. Rhine's house. They offered what words of consolation they 
could, but in the intensity of his grief he scarcely heard them. 
The roar of the flames increased as the roofs of the buildings 
began to cave in. Burning brands flew high into the air and 
floated away in the great column of brown smoke, till they became 
scarcely distinguishable from the stars. Then the floors of both 
the barn and the granary fell through. The heavy mowing 
machine, which was standing on the barn floor, was heard as it 
fell upon a new light buggy that had been nut m the basement 



268 OUR POLICE. 

of the building the previous day. One of the great doors burned 
from its hinges at the top, fell over, and the unfortunate horses 
were seen still struggling in their horrible agony. In the granary 
there were three horses. Some boards being burned away at the 
top fell outward, and showed the poor animals here also kicking 
and writhing in mortal pain. 

The holocaust was soon over, and the neighbors with parting 
words of sympathy dispersed to their homes. They had done 
nothing. They could do nothing. Leaving one of the hired 
men to keep watch, Mr. Rhine and the family sadly returned to 
their beds to get what needed sleep they could. 

Meanwhile the old man had ridden the colt rapidly in the 
direction of Baltimore. It was evident that the jolting of the 
animal caused him pain, for he grasped the animal's mane tightly 
to steady himself, and once in a while gave vent to a low curse. 
Vfhen he had gone about two miles he drew his horse up on one 
side of the road and turned his face in the direction from which 
he had come. Thus far no one had passed him on the way. He 
had been standing scarcely a minute when the blaze of light 
burst out upon the sky from farmer Rhine's burning barns. 
Then quickly taking a firmer hold of the colt's mane with one 
hand, and in the other holding the halter which he had converted 
into a bridle by tying it tightly around the animal's under jaw, 
he resumed his rapid ride towards Baltimore. At the outskirts 
of the city the old man dismounted, and throwing away the blan- 
ket and surcingle, began to lead the animal. The sun was peep- 
ing above the tall roofs of the great city and had faded the gray 
dawn into daylight when the first person appeared who had 
crossed the old man's path since he left Mr. Rhine's farm-yard. 
This man appeared to be a farmer. He was driving a two-horse 
truck-wagon out toward the country. The old man stopped him, 
and in broken English of a German accent, asked him to buy 
the colt. But the farmer refused and drove on. The next per- 
son the old man met was also a farmer, and to him, too, the colt 
was unsuccessfully offered for sale. 

Having been thus twice repulsed the man did not again ap- 
proach anybody until he reached the Marsh Market, where he 



OUR POLICE. 269 

met a man named Quigley, an English gypsy, who lived in a 
cottage at Homestead, Baltimore county. Quigley made a busi- 
ness of trading horses, and he readily bought the colt when it 
was offered to him for $75. The gypsy's son, a bright, black- 
eyed boy about eleven years old was standing by when his father 
paid the old man the money. The latter took the roll of bills 
eagerly, and with trembling hand unbuttoned a curious leathern 
flap that covered his trousers pocket. He put the money in the 
pocket, and after feeling of it carefully several times to make 
sure it was there, laboriously buttoned the flap down again. 

At the time when this scene was taking place the farm-yard of 
Mr. Rhine in Howard county presented a rueful appearance. 
The black, sooty ruins of his barn and granary lay wilhin their 
stone foundations, still smoking in some places. The charred 
remains of the horses and other live stock lay half exposed in the 
ashes. 

It was a severe blow that had fallen upon farmer Rhine, and 
the grief of his family was deep and poignant. But in their great 
sorrow the calamity which seemed to sink deepest into their 
hearts was the death of their beautiful colt, which they called 
" Billy." He was Mrs. Rhine's particular pet. Her lamenta- 
tions were all for him. 

"My poor Billy," she cried; "burned to death. He will 
never come to the door to beg for sugar again !" And the grief- 
stricken lady again burst into tears. 

Farmer Rhine sat silently on the broad stone door-step of the 
farm-house kitchen. A number of the neighbors dropped in to 
see the results of the conflagration, and various speculations as 
to the probable cause of the fire were discussed. An old maiden 
lady who lived in a small cottage about a quarter of a mile down 
the road advanced the opinion that it was the result of Divine 
wrath, for she had seen Mr. Rhine trimming his grape vines on 
the previous Sabbath. The suggestion was countenanced if not 
exactly upheld by the Baptist dominie who had driven up in his 
buggy. But the more practical neighbors were convinced that 
the buildings must have been deliberately set on fire. Suddenly 
a cry of surprise was heard from one of the farm-hands, who bad 



270 OUR POLICE. 

been poking over the ruins in idle curiosity with the long handle 
of a rake which had been left standing against the barn the night 
before, and the teeth of which had been burned away. He had 
discovered that there were but four carcases lying underneath the 
barn where five horses had been left the night before. The big 
bay mare which had been in the middle stall was missing. A 
hasty examination of the ruins of the granary showed three car- 
cases lying there, which was the right number. The incendiary, 
then, was a thief, who had stolen the old mare and had burned 
down the two buildings to conceal his crime ! It seemed too 
heartless to be true. Yet there was the big bay missing while 
the remains of the other animals were in their places. 

Desperate with grief and indignation, Mr. Rhine hastened to 
the nearest telephone and called up the marshal of the police in 
Baltimore. Marshal Frey had just arrived at his office as the 
telephone bell rang, and he answered it in person. He heard the 
farmer's brief story, and at once put the case into the hands of 
detectives. Captain Lewis "W. Cadwallader, a most able and 
efficient officer, was at that time at the head of the detective bu- 
reau. He immediately warned his men to look out for anybody 
trying to sell a "large round-bellied bay mare," which was the 
description the farmer had given of his missing animal. 

Mr. Rhine came to Baltimore the same afternoon and called 
upon the marshal. Captain Cadwallader's detectives had returned 
and reported that they could find no animal answering the descrip- 
tion given among the horses offered for sale in the city. Detectives 
Freburger and Pontier said, however, that they had come upon a 
young bay gelding in the hands of a gypsy named Quigley, who 
lived out on the Belair road, in Baltimore county, which the 
gypsy had purchased that morning under suspicious circum- 
stances, having paid only $75 for the animal, its real value being 
nearer $250. 

"You'd better go out and see the colt," suggested the marshal 
to Mr. Rhine. 

"No; there's no use in doing that," replied the farmer in a 
hopeless voice. "My horse is a big bay mare. No one could 
mistake her for a colt." 



OUR POLICE. 271 

" But why not try it ?" persisted the marshal. " This colt is 
the only horse sold about here this morning by a stranger, and 
the animal you describe is not in any stable in the city." 

But argument was useless. The farmer replied somewhat 
peevishly that he had experienced enough trouble in one twenty- 
four hours without undertaking a wild goose chase in addition. 
He promised, however, to examine the carcases in the ruins when 
he reached home, to make certain which horse was missing. 
Heavy hearted, Mr. Rhine turned his face homeward. 

As he entered the gate of his front yard his wife met him and 
cried excitedly: "It's colt 'Billy' that's been stolen, not the 
big mare !" 

" How do you know ?" demanded the farmer in astonishment. 

" Why, the blacksmith was here, and he noticed that there 
were shoes on all the dead horses, while the colt had never been 
shod!" 

Sure enough. The bay mare had been substituted in the colt's 
stall before the fire. 

"Then the detectives were right after all," exclaimed Mr. 
Rhine. " If it's not too late; we will get back our ' Billy.' ' 

A spark of joy lighted up the gloom that had fallen upon the 
household, and preparations were made for the return of the 
family pet. The thief had evidently placed the other horse in 
the colt's stall, so that if the loss was discovered a wrong de- 
scription would be given the police. Farmer Rhine was at police 
headquarters in Baltimore next morning almost before the mar- 
shal. Somewhat shamefacedly he apologized to Mr. Frey for 
his stubbornness on the previous day, and begged to be directed 
to the place where the gypsy Quigley lived. Captain Cad- 
wallader and detective Freburger, who had found the colt the 
day before, went to Homestead with Mr. Rhine. As they ap- 
proached the place the latter recognized the colt standing in a 
field, and gave a peculiar whistle. The animal raised his head, 
and seeing his master, ran toward him with a neigh of joy. 
Tears came to the farmer's eyes as the affectionate beast stretched 
its head over his shoulder and then sniffed at his pockets for 
the accustomed lump of sugar. The gypsy allowed the colt to 



272 OUR POLICE. 

be led away without protest when detective Seibold told him 
how it had been stolen, and he gave a minute description of the 
man from whom he had bought the animal. 

:Jj ^i 5|i JJC 5J£ jjs 

But the night of the conflagration was not the first appearance 
of the old man on Mr. Rhine's farm. The dastardly outrage 
committed by the aged incendiary and thief was accompanied by 
circumstances which made the crime doubly atrocious. It was a 
chilly evening some months before the events above related took 
place, when the same old man arrived, hungry, foot-sore and 
shivering at the door of Mr. Rhine's house. The man was so 
old and his condition so pitiable that the kind-hearted farmer, 
accustomed as he was to the sight of tramps, took him in and 
gave him food and shelter. All through the winter until late in 
the following March the old man was allowed to stay there. He 
did light work about the place and received regular wages from 
Mr. Rhine. On three occasions during that time he fell 
sick and was nursed with motherly care by Mrs. Rhine. Toward 
the close of March, just as the season was at hand when he might 
have been of some use on the farm, the old man suddenly made 
up his mind to go to Baltimore. The following day he left, after 
bidding all a friendly adieu. What he did in Baltimore was 
never known. He was of an extremely economical disposition, 
in fact miserly, and he had in his possession the whole of the 
wages Mr. Rhine had ^paid him during the winter. He was 
probably living on this money up to the time he went out to his 
benefactor's farm on the night of April 20, and set his buildings 
on fire. 

For a long time the identity of the perpetrator of the outrage 
was an unfathomable mystery. The detectives were certain that 
he was some one who had lived on the farm, and were from the 
first strongly inclined to suspect the old man, whose name was 
Henry Leentoe. Mr. Rhine and every member of his household 
were so positive, however, that "old Henry" would never be guilty 
of such a crime, that the police did not publicly charge that he 
was the guilty man. They hunted for him, nevertheless, high 



OUR POLICE. 273 

and low throughout Baltimore and the State, but without success. 
Finally Marshal Frey caused a thousand postal cards, containing 
the description of the old man as given by the gypsy Quigley 
and his little son, to be printed and sent to the police depart- 
ments in every part of the country. Several replies to the card 
were received at the police headquarters, but none of them 
proved satisfactory. On one occasion two detectives were sent 
to Newberne, North Carolina, to look at a man who had been 
arrested on suspicion in that town. But he proved an alibi and 
was released. Finally, more than three months after the com- 
mission of the crime, on the morning of July 26, 1886, the Mar- 
shal found among the letters in his morning mail one bearing 
the imprint of the sheriff's office of Lancaster county, Pennsylva- 
nia. The letter stated that an aged German, who exactly an- 
swered the description given of the barn-burner on the postal card 
received from the Baltimore police headquarters, was in custody 
at the Lancaster jail. The man was known in Lancaster county, 
having been convicted there in 1870 of a similar crime, and sen- 
tenced to twenty years imprisonment. He served the whole 
term, less the commutation for good behavior. Detective Sei- 
bold and patrolman Frank Devon were sent at once to Lancaster. 
After interviewing the prisoner they were convinced that they 
had run down the right man at last. In his possession were 
found the trousers with the leathern flaps over the pockets, 
which the son of the gypsy Quigley had described. The aged 
prisoner was evidently accustomed to his surroundings in jail. 
He was dogged when spoken to about barn-burning, however, 
neither effectually denying nor admitting it. 

The gypsy boy was sent for and the old man was brought be- 
fore him for identification in the midst of a dozen other aged pris- 
oners. The boy stepped up to him at once and pointed him out, 
saying : 

" Don't you see he's got something the matter with his eye, 
the way I told you ?" 

Mr. Rhine was then shown the prisoner, and recognized him 
at once as "old Henry." Not until that moment was the farmer 
thoroughly convinced that he was the guilty man. 



274 OUR POLICE. 

At the sight of Mr. Rhine the aged criminal endeavored to 
turn away. Hardened as he was, he was unable to meet the eye 
of the man whose kindness he had abused so atrociously. The 
farmer did not speak. With one reproachful glance at the pris- 
oner he turned and left the room. 

A requisition signed by the Governor of Maryland effected the 
delivery of the white-haired scoundrel to the custody of Detec- 
tives Seibold and Freburger, who brought him to Baltimore. He 
was shortly afterward tried in Ellicott City, Howard county, on 
a charge of horse-stealing and convicted. The leather-patched 
trousers found in the prisoner's possession in Lancaster played an 
important part in the trial. Judges Miller and Jones sentenced 
him to fourteen years imprisonment from October 6, 1886. The 
maximum penalty for arson in the first degree, such as old Leen- 
toe had been guilty of, is death, in the State of Maryland. His 
best chance to escape this punishment lay in pleading guilty when 
arraigned on the other indictment for barn-burning. His coun- 
sel, assigned to him by the court, advised him thus. He there- 
fore plead guilty, and Judge Duffy, of the Baltimore Criminal 
Court, before whom he was brought this time, sentenced him to 
twelve years additional in the Maryland penitentiary, making 
twenty-six years in all. As the prisoner was sixty-nine years of 
age when sentenced, he will probably never live to see freedom. 

The career of Leentoe, as developed at the trial in Ellicott 
City, had been a most extraordinary one. He emigrated from 
Germany in 1853 and lived for some years in the mountain coun- 
ties of Maryland, until he was convicted of horse-stealing in 
1858, and sentenced to nine years imprisonment. After serving 
this long term he drifted up into York and Lancaster counties, 
Pennsylvania, where he fell into the hands of the law several 
times for small offences and suffered short imprisonments* 
Finally, as has been stated above, he was convicted of horse- 
stealing and barn-burning, and sent to prison for twenty years in 
1870. This crime bore a remarkable resemblance to the one in 
Howard county. He stole a bay horse from the stable of his 
employer, a large farmer, one night, and then to conceal his 
crime set fire to the building. Seventeen horses and cows per- 



OUR POLICE. 275 

ished in the flames. He was met by two neighbors of the farmer 
about a mile from the burning barn with the stolen horse in his 
possession. He was arrested, and the horse being quickly identi- 
fied, was held for trial. More than two-thirds of the man's life 
since he landed in America has been spent in prison. He has 
.come to regard a cell as his natural home, and after his late trial 
he said he was happier in confinement than free. 



276 OUR POLICE. 



CHAPTER XL 

The Detective Force. {Concluded) 

WILLIAM HENRY DROSTE. THE LAST WORK ON THE MER- 

RIMAC. A BAD EXPERIENCE AS A BLOCKADE-RUNNER. THE 

EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION. A BOGUS BILL-OF-LADING 

THIEE. CATCHING THREE FORGERS. THOMAS BARRANGER. 

PURSUING A CONVICT. A DEAF MUTE AS A HORSE-THIEF. 

CAPTURING CHARLES H. HOCH. STEPHEN J. O'NEILL. FET- 
TERED BY STOLEN GOODS. — A YOUNG BUT NOTORIOUS BURG- 
LAR. — A STRUGGLE TO THE FINISH. AQUILLA J. PUMPHREY. 

A CASE OF MUTUAL SUSPICION. — SWINDLING AS A MISSION- 
ARY. — JOHN E. REILLY. — A BRAVE DEED. — COMPLIMENTED 
BY THE DEPARTMENT. 

Among the most widely known detectives on the police force 
is William Henry Droste. His life has been an exceedingly 
eventful one, having to do with the stirring scenes of the civil war, 
as well as those scarcely less exciting events which occur in the 
life of a patrolman and detective. He is a man of large physique 
and of immense muscular development. His features are clean 
cut; his nose betokening to the student of physiognomy an 
incisive and inquiring intelligence. His eyes are sharp and 
noticeably bright. He wears a slight black moustache. His 
career as a policeman has been a long one, and he has made 
quite as many arrests as any other member of the force. The 
heads of the department place the greatest confidence in his 
judgment and sagacity. 

Mr. Droste was born at No. 107 Hill street, the same house in 
which he now lives, on October 16, 1838. His father's name was 
John H. Droste ; he was a German blacksmith. Young Droste, 
from the outset, was of adventurous disposition, and as a 
result he did not altogether fancy the confinements of school life, 
so when he was quite a boy his father apprenticed him to a firm 



OUR POLICE. 277 

of ship joiners, Messrs. John E. Mills & Brother. He did not 
remain long in their yard, but he clung to his trade and finished 
his apprenticeship in the employ of Skinner Brothers. Droste 
worked at his trade until the breaking out of the war. He 
was a warm Southern sympathizer, and no sooner had the 
first gun been fired than he went South. He was employed by 
the Confederate Government as a ship-joiner and was put to work 
upon the famous Merrimac, then building. Mr. Droste claims 
that he did about the last bit of work on that terror of Northern 
shipping. He placed the " combing" above the batteries which 
had so much to do with making her armor so effectual a defense 
against the shots of the Federal men-of-war. When the Merri- 
mac was completed Mr. Droste went to Nashville, Tennessee, 
where he was to do considerable work reconstructing some river 
steamers into gun-boats. He got there just about as the battle at 
Fort Donelson was being fought. On the Saturday previous to the 
surrender of Donelson, Mr. Droste and a number of other men 
were sent doAvn the Cumberland river with orders to erect works, 
so that further navigation could be obstructed. On Sunday, how- 
ever, work on these forts was stopped and the place abandoned, 
for Donelson had fallen and the Federal troops were practically 
masters of the entire region. Two large river steamers upon 
which, Mr. Droste had been working were burned, partly on his 
suggestion, in order to save them from capture by the enemy. 
Nashville, after the surrender of Donelson, became rather warm 
for Confederates, owing to the arrival of the Northern army, and 
so Mr. Droste went to Richmond, where he was immediately em- 
ployed in the construction of what was then known as the " La- 
dies' Gun-Boat," but which was afterwards given the name of 
" The Virginia." After this work was ended Mr. Droste enlisted 
in the Confederate army and served at the battles of Drury's Bluff 
and Seven Pines. 

But even war was not adventurous enough for Mr. Droste. 
He wanted something that was more exciting — perhaps, too, 
more profitable. So he began blockade-running. His first trip 
was from the Potomac river to Baltimore, in an eleven-foot 
metal life-boat, for the purpose of getting supplies for the army. 



278 OUR POLICE. 

His trip was comparatively uneventful. He returned to his start- 
ing-point in a big fishing-boat, in company with four other men 
and with a load of valuable army and navy stores. This trip 
turned in a large amount of money. The profits enabled Mr. 
Droste to make a much more extended trip the next time ; he 
went to New York, purchased supplies there, made the run down 
the coast without event and landed safe and sound on the Vir- 
ginia shore. The next trip was somewhat disastrous. He had 
made a run from Curtis' s creek, near Baltimore, to the Virginia 
shore in a small boat laden with valuable supplies. He entered 
the Potomac and made his way to the Rappahannock river, land- 
ing finally in a little stream running into the larger body of 
water. At about that time a regiment of Federal cavalry was 
raiding the North Neck, but of this Mr. Droste was not aware. 
He could see the morning after he came to anchor that there had 
been trouble on the other side of the river, and he determined to 
cross to ascertain the reasons. He found out with a promptness 
that was not immensely amusing to him, for a squad of cavalry 
swooped down upon him and captured both him and his goods. 
He was taken up to the military prison at Falmouth, and after 
being imprisoned there for a short time was paroled. He imme- 
diately went " down country" again and got some goods which 
his friends had saved for him, amounting in value to perhaps 
$400; this put him on his feet again, and he made another trip to 
New York, which was very successful. This expedition was so 
profitable that he resolved to repeat it on a larger scale. He 
chartered a boat called the Cora Hatch, and loaded her with 
leather hose for the Richmond fire department and hemp packing 
for the water department of the same city. He purchased a big 
yawl and put it on the Cora Hatch, intending to use it for the 
landing of the goods when the Southern lines should be reached. 
Mr. Droste cleared New York all right and got down the coast 
without event until the Virginia shore was reached. Then one 
very dark night the yawl was run overboard and the goods were 
packed into her. Mr. Droste was in the yawl helping to load 
when he discovered, to his alarm, that she was not water-tight. 
The men on the Hatch persisted, however, in loading her down, 



OUR POLICE. 279 

and despite Mr. Dro-ste's protestations, piled the valuable supplies 
so high that the yawl was actually top-heavy. Then the Captain 
cut her adrift with Mr. Droste and two other men on board. 
The party in the yawl thought the shore was only a short dis- 
tance away but they were mistaken. The darkness of the night 
had deceived them. The boat was unseaworthy and the breakers 
w r ere dangerous. At every lurch the boat shipped large quanti- 
ties of water, soaking the supplies and threatening the men with 
death. They tore the crowns out of their hats and tried to bail, 
but the water came in faster than they could get it out, and they 
felt that the probabilities of their ever seeing shore again were 
very small. Bailing and rowing alternately they had got near the 
shore when a big wave struck the boat and she almost filled and 
was about to sink, when Mr. Droste tossed over the goods, losing 
within five minutes nearly $5,000. Finally only a trunk and a 
keg of whisky were left. Tearing open the former, Mr. Droste 
seized the tray and used it with such good results that the boat 
was made navigable again. But all three men were exhausted 
from the terrible exertions they had made to save their lives. 
The whisky brought them strength again and they finally reached 
the shore nearly expiring from their long exposure. Mr. Droste 
had just sufficient strength to enable him to drag himself to a 
farm-house near by. There, after telling of his companions, lie 
fell to the floor, remaining unconscious for two days. His feet 
had been frozen, and had it not been for his extraordinarily strong 
constitution he would never have recovered from his experience. 
He gathered together the remainder of his goods on board the 
Cora Hatch and recovered sufficient from their sale to repair his 
losses. Not yet disheartened he returned to New York, and .on 
his next trip cleared about $20,000. Again he went back to the 
metropolis, and buying a large boat loaded it up with all sorts of 
supplies. Among the men whom he consented to have return 
with him was a young man who had been sent North by Colonel 
Kane, afterwards Mayor of Baltimore, for the purpose of buying 
clothing for the Confederate troops. He had a big hand-bag 
with him containing, unknown to Mr. Droste, documents import- 
ant to the Confederate Government and addressed to President 



280 OUR POLICE. 

Jefferson Davis. The boat made its way to the Narrows in New 
York harbor, and had got right under the guns of the forts when 
she was stopped and boarded by a number of detectives. Inqui- 
ries followed and were answered apparently satisfactorily when 
one of the officers suggested that a search be made. The sug- 
gestion was carried out, when, to the delight of the Federal de- 
tectives and the consternation of Mr. Droste, the hand-bag was 
discovered. It was opened, its contents discovered and the men on 
the boat were immediately -placed under arrest. The unfortunate 
owner of the bag was sent to Boston, to be tried as a spy. He 
would have been hanged in all probability had he not leaped 
from a window of the train on the way there and so escaped. 
Mr. Droste was held a prisoner on his boat for about six weeks, 
when the war was ended and he was discharged. 

He immediately entered business in New York as a butcher, 
and remained until the autumn of 18G5, when he went to New 
Orleans and worked at his trade as ship-joiner for six months, 
making considerable money and many friends. After a few months 
he returned to Baltimore and again worked at his trade until 
June 5, 1868, when he was appointed a patrolman on the police 
force of this city and was assigned to the Southern District, then 
commanded by Captain (now Marshal) Frey. Since that time Mr. 
Droste has been concerned in the detection and arrest of so many 
criminals that the mere enumeration of them would exceed the 
limits of this sketch. There have been few great crimes occurring 
in this city during the last fifteen years that he has not assisted the 
police department in ferreting out. His name appears frequently 
in the narratives in other chapters, and he is deservedly regarded 
as one of the shrewdest and most experienced men under Cap- 
tain Freburger. His first murder case was the shooting of Samuel 
Barrett in 1870. The night had been given over to political 
parades, the partisan feeling in that year running very high. 
The Democrats were marching through all the main streets, cheer- 
ing for their candidates and arousing enthusiasm among the citi- 
zens of like faith. At Gay and Baltimore streets a party of 
men, all Republicans, were standing talking with Mr. Barrett 
about the chances for victory. As the Democratic procession 



OUR POLICE. 281 

marched along Barrett answered its cheers with one for his can- 
didate. The Seventeenth Ward Association happened to be pass- 
ing at the time and a row immediately ensued, in the midst of 
which a pistol-shot was fired from the ranks of the procession and 
Barrett fell dead. A meagre description of the murderer was 
given to the police, and the case was turned over to Sergeant 
Droste, who had obtained that rank on April 21. The Sergeant 
followed clew after clew, which led to a notorious character named 
"Dick" Willing, and finally fastened the crime upon him so con- 
clusively that he felt himself justified in arresting him. But the 
court required direct evidence instead of such as Mr. Droste had 
secured and Willing was acquitted. It was in this year that the 
negro emancipation celebration was held in Baltimore, and Ser- 
geant Droste saw what was perhaps his severest service on the 
force. For two days and nights he was unable to get any sleep, 
so necessary was it for the police to guard the public from any 
possible race riots. Sergeant Droste remained in the Southern 
District until March 18, 1875, when he was transferred to the 
Middle, or what is now the Central District. It was while in 
this District that he had the greatest number of cases, as he 
served both as reserve and patrol sergeant and so was continu- 
ously occupied. He made frequent raids upon gambling houses 
and policy-shops, and acquired an enviable distinction by always 
succeeding in making these raids effectual, not alone seizing the 
" lay-out," but capturing his men. Among his arrests during his 
service as sergeant, was that of Charles Spottswood, a notorious old 
thief, who had a record as dark as that of any criminal in the coun- 
try. He had just left the penitentiary after serving' out a sentence 
of fourteen years, during which time he had made a desperate 
attempt to escape, and when captured by Mr. Droste was fresh 
from a daring burglary in the upper part of the city. He 
was sent back to the penitentiary. On November 6, 18T6, 
Sergeant Droste captured Edward Lillie, alias Henry A. Watson, 
a confidence man whose work has extended over all parts of the 
country. When arrested he had just swindled a Baltimorean 
out of $280, and was enjoying himself hugely with his ill-gotten 
gains. He gave Mr. Droste no trouble in the arrest, the 






282 OUR POLICE. 

description given of the swindler being so good that he was cap- 
tured within a very short time. On December 31, 1878, the 
Sergeant secured the conviction of Henry Snitzer, a notorious 
thief, for stealing a large amount of tobacco from some down- 
town warehouses. Snitzer was tried on two indictments and sen- 
tenced to the penitentiary for two years and four months. 

Sergeant Droste was transferred from the Central District to 
service on the detective squad at police headquarters on April 
16, 1882. Since that time he has been steadily engaged as a 
secret service officer, and has frequently received the thanks of 
the department for his work. It was on January 16, 1883, that 
Detective Droste captured one of the most dangerous criminals 
in the country, a confidence man named Benjamin Spandauer. 
He pretended that he was expecting to receive a large amount of 
money from Germany, and on these expectations he induced an 
old German living in this city to advance him §1,500. He also 
fastened his claws upon a divorce case at that time, and by, as the 
police termed it, "playing the two ends against the middle," suc- 
ceeded in swindling all the parties out of a very large sum of money. 
The descriptions furnished of Spandauer were so accurate that 
Detective Droste had little difficulty in running the fellow down and 
getting him a sentence of three years in prison. When he was re- 
leased he was promptly arrested and sent back for another crime. 

In April, 1883, the up-town police districts were visited and 
"worked" with much thoroughness by a gang of burglars from 
New York. These men were in the habit of visiting; the houses 
they intended to enter, early in the evening while the families were 
at church or at places of amusement, and within half an hour 
ransack each place. The only clew that could be obtained was the 
fact that in one house the detectives found a piece of watch chain 
which had been apparently broken while the owner was endeavor- 
ing to escape. Detective Droste, shortly after this clew was found, 
arrested John Randall, James Howard, and George W. Boadley 
as suspicious characters. Their lodgings were searched and there 
a quantity of "stuff" was found which clearly proved that they 
were criminals of considerable importance. In the fire-place of 
one of the rooms was found the remainder of the watch chain. 



OUR POLICE. 283 

Upon this evidence the men were sent to the penitentiary for 
four years. 

On September 17, 1884, Detective Droste captured another 
New York criminal who was reaping a harvest in this city. His 
name was James Lee, and he was known to have swindled persons 
in almost every large city in the country. His manner of work- 
ing was to ring the door bell of a house which he knew had been 
left in charge of servants while the family was in Europe, and 
inform the person who answered the summons that the family had 
sent a case of goods home "from the other side." "This case is 
now at your disposal," he would explain. " There are $9.98 
still due upon it, and if you will pay that amount you may have 
this bill of lading which will entitle you to the goods." The 
$9.98 was forthcoming in almost every instance. A photograph 
of such a swindler was obtained from New York and was identified 
by one of the victims. Detective Droste followed this clew with 
so much celerity that within twenty-four hours he had found out 
where Lee lived and had arrested him. Lee got a long term in 
the penitentiary. 

Detective Droste prides himself upon the fact that he has never 
yet been attacked by a prisoner or received any bodily injury in 
the discharge of his duty. 

Detective Thomas Barranger was born in this city on March 
14, 1845. He was educated in the public schools, and entered 
the Police department when twenty-two years old, receiving the 
appointment as patrolman on July 20, 1867, and being assigned 
to duty at the Central Station. He was promoted to a Ser- 
geancy in his district on September 9, 1874, and was transferred 
to the City Hall for detective duty on April 3, 1883. The first 
case of importance with which Detective Barranger was connected 
was the capture, after a most exciting chase, of an escaped negro 
convict named Albert Fortune, from the Richmond, Virginia, 
penitentiary. Fortune was a notorious horse thief and was 
undergoing a long term of confinement when he conceived an 
ingenious escape. A wall was building around the prison yard 
and a derrick had been erected within the inclosure. By some 
means Fortune secured a rope and file which he secreted in his 



284 OUR POLICE. 

cell. He then sawed through the bars over his window and 
throwing his rope over one of the derrick's guys, swung himself 
to the top of the wall, jumped to the ground and was at liberty. 
Circulars announcing his escape were sent over the country, and 
the police here were on the look-out for the fugitive. On the 
morning of April 19, 1873, Officer Barranger and Sergeant 
Frazier espied a negro on Baltimore street, who they thought 
answered the description of Fortune, and followed him. Before 
the man reached Liberty street he knew he was observed, and 
ran, with Barranger and Frazier in hot pursuit. He turned into 
Liberty street, and three or four citizens who tried to stop him 
were knocked down. He then tried to burst open the door of a 
house, hoping to escape through the dwelling. By the delay 
caused by this attempt Officer Barranger was enabled to come up 
with him, but while reaching out to grab his man the policeman 
was thrown violently to the ground. The fugitive then ran through 
a feed store in Liberty street, above Fayette street, up stairs 
through a bed room, upsetting a cradle with a baby in it on his 
way, jumped out of the second story window to the yard below, 
scaled a fence nearly twenty feet high into Park street, and then 
ran through several other houses and got into Lexington street, 
where the officers ran him to cover in a soap factory, and brought 
him to bay under a tank, after levelling their revolvers at him 
and threatening to shoot him. He offered his captors $300 to 
"go about their business." They turned him over to the 
Richmond authorities. Fortune was desperate, and succeeded in 
escaping from the Kichmond officers between Washington and 
that city. He was recaptured, however, and returned to the 
penitentiary. 

On July 11, 1872, Officer Barranger arrested "Dick" Moore, 
Frank Johnson and " Jere " Crosson, all colored, for highway 
robbery. They "held up" an old colored man named Edward 
Davis, who had just returned from Guano Island, and robbed 
him of $74.50. Mr. Barranger happened to be coming along 
the street and heard the cry of "police!" Seeing three men 
running, he gave chase and captured one at Holliday and Fayette 
streets. The other two he arrested subsequently in South street. 



OUR POLICE. 285 

The three culprits were each sentenced to two years imprisonment. 
On January 13, 1871, he arrested George Dexter, alias Wilson, 
for burglary at Bernard's restaurant, where he stole $60 worth 
of cigars. Dexter was sentenced to three years imprisonment. 
On July 2, 1882, he " picked up " John S. Thro, a bogus check 
man, for passing a worthless check for $40 on Charles McCrae. 

On the night of Saturday, June 4, 1882, Edward H. Frames 
was shot and killed in the northeastern district. Late in the 
evening young Frames and a companion named Weldon observed 
two men and a woman going towards McKim's Hill, and the 
young men followed them. Without warning one of the men 
with the woman turned and fired a pistol, killing Frames. The 
case excited great interest and a large number of officers were 
engaged on it. During the next day, Sunday, Officer Barranger 
and Sergeant Ryan succeeded in locating the woman who had 
accompanied the murderer, and she made a confession to the 
officers. They accordingly proceeded to arrest Charles, alias 
" Polly " Hopkins, whom they found at Greenmount avenue and 
Eager streets. The next day Charles Digan surrendered himself 
at the Marshal's office, as the other man in the party. Hopkins 
was tried in Baltimore County for the murder of Frames and 
convicted, and is now serving his sentence of eighteen years. 
Digan was tried in Baltimore City and acquitted. Miles Jack- 
son was arrested by Sergeant Barranger on February 23, 1883, 
for burglary in the store of Robert Bogue, where Jackson was 
employed as porter. Jackson broke into the place with a hatchet 
in the night-time and stole silks valued at $465. He was 
sentenced to three years imprisonment. On March 20, 1875, 
Harry Loughlin, a notorious thief, since dead, was arrested by 
Sergeant Barranger for stealing a gold watch worth $165 from 
George T. Clark. He also arrested William Emry, alias u Husky 
Bill," a notorious pickpocket, on September 3, 1878; George 
Croswell on October 9, 1878, who was convicted in six cases of 
obtaining goods on false pretences from different merchants, and 
was sentenced to two years imprisonment and to pay $50 fine ; 
on April 12, 1879, he captured Mary Lanehart for picking the 
pocket of Miss Amanda Smith of $27; and on July 3, 1880, 




286 OUR POLICE. 

lie arrested Charles Benderfield on the charge of embezzlement 
of $500 from Kruger Brothers. 

The notorious bank-sneaks, "Jim" Burns and "Tom" 
McCormack made Sergeant Barranger's acquaintance in his 
official capacity on December 1, 1876, when he arrested them 
here and locked them up. They were picked up before they had 
done any work in the city, and after being detained several days 
were sent out of town. Burns is now serving a term in a Euro- 
pean prison and McCormack is in durance somewhere in the 
West. On the same day that he made these arrests Sergeant 
Barranger captured George Harris, alias " Old Boston," and 
James B. Norris, alias "Jimmy" Brown, also bank-sneaks, as 
suspicious persons and made them leave the city limits. On 
the night of September 14, 1883, during the "Oriole," Bar- 
ringer noticed a man at Baltimore and Eutaw streets acting 
in a suspicious manner in the crowd and arrested him. His 
prisoner turned out to be John Nolan, alias McGovern, and on 
him were found seven pocket-books which he had stolen. Six 
cases were proved against him and he was sentenced to four years 
in the penitentiary. 

On information received from the authorities of Talbot county 
Maryland, Detective Barranger was detailed to find William 
Harris, alias "Jim" Wilson, who was charged with stealing a 
team in that county. Accordingly on September 16, 1884, he 
arrested his man in Paca street with the stolen property in his 
possession. Harris was turned over to an officer of Talbot 
county, who after placing hand-cuffs on his prisoner's wrists 
started back home with him. On his way Harris jumped from 
the train while it was in motion and made his escape. Going to 
a farm-house about three miles from Upper Marlborough, he 
represented to the farmer that he was a commercial traveler and 
had been attacked by a party of tramps who hand-cuffed him and 
then robbed him of his goods and money. The farmer believing 
his story had a team hooked up and sent his son and a colored 
man as driver to carry Harris to Upper Marlborough, where he 
said he wanted to go and have the manacles cut off his wrists. 
Shortly after starting he knocked his two companions out of the 



OUR POLICE. 287 

wagon, and driving within a mile of the town turned the team 
loose. He then secured the services of an old negro to cut off 
the hand-cuffs, imposing on him with the same story he had 
told the farmer. Through this negro he was afterwards brought 
to justice. About six months' after he was arrested in Laurel, 
Maryland, where he had married and engaged in business. 
Harris was convicted and sentenced to seven years and six 
months imprisonment. On December 29, 1883, Detective Bar- 
ranger arrested John Saylor, alias " Hen" Smith, for robbery 
committed upon Wells, Fargo & Co. in California. Saylor had 
been "wanted " for five or six months, and circulars had been 
sent to the police throughout the country with his description. 
Detective Barranger and Captain Cadwallader succeeded in 
locating him at a well-known saloon in this city, and learned 
that he intended to set sail for Europe on the following day. 
They arrested him at Fell's Point on his way to the ship. Wil- 
liam Lee, alias Burch, alias Layton, a bogus Custom-house officer, 
fell into Detective Barranger's net on February 21, 1884. Lee's 
plan of operations was to go to various institutions and represent 
that a valuable cabinet of minerals had arrived from Europe for 
the institution, which would be delivered on payment of the cus- 
tom duties. Eight cases were proved against him and he was 
sentenced to three years' imprisonment. Another criminal in 
the same line of business was James Lee, alias "Joe" Hartman, 
alias J. E. Cottman, alias Harman Goethe, who was arrested by 
Detective Barranger accompanied by Detective Droste, on Sep- 
tember 18, 1884. His victims were private citizens, Mrs. Boss 
Winans being among the number. He pleaded guilty to eight 
charges and was sentenced to four years' imprisonment. Lee 
had previously served a term in New York where he was arrested 
by Detective Silas Rogers. 

Thomas Mitchell was arrested by Detective Barranger on De- 
cember 26, 1884, for burglary and sentenced to two years in the 
House of Correction. On June 21, 1885, he arrested John 
Smith, colored, for a burglary committed in Martinsburg, West 
Virginia. He recovered all the stolen property. Smith was re- 
turned to Martinsburg and sentenced to three years' imprisonment. 



288 OUR POLICE. 

One "would hardly expect to find among the ranks of desperate 
criminals a deaf mute, but such was John Bitzer, a horse-thief, 
whom Detective Barranger arrested on August 8, 1885. The stolen 
horse was sold at a bazaar in this city and was subsequently 
recovered in Kent county. Barranger arrested Bitzer on a Sat- 
urday night at a little inn at Tomansville, Baltimore county. 
Congregated about the place were forty or fifty white and colored 
men who evidently sympathized with Bitzer. The latter 
" showed fight" when the detective undertook to arrest him. 

" See here," called out the bartender, when Barrang r at- 
tempted to put the hand-cuffs on his prisoner, " don't you hurt 
that man," and the crowd grew threatening. 

" I'll put these hand-cuffs on him or kill him," replied the 
tective as he drew his revolver. 

"Permit me to assist you," said the awed bartender, and the 
bracelets were adjusted and the prisoner removed. 

A pair of "bunco-steerers" were balked in their game 1 
tective Barranger on February 18, 1886. He observed the men 
first in Baltimore street and thinking they were " croo. 
watched them. Presently they approached the Bev. Dr 
char of Baltimore county and inveigled him into a room on St 
Paul street above Mulberry street. Barranger immediate" 
word to headquarters for assistance, and Detectives Ponti< and 
Freburger came. While Detective Freburger covered tl 
of the house, Barranger and Pontier entered, arrested tl 
and captured their "lay-out" and "boodle." The prisoners 
were " Tom" O'Brien, alias Hudson and George Post, alias Pot- 
ter. They gave bail and decamped. 

A Washington confidence man named Egbert Johnson alias 
"Bob" Murphy, was arrested by Detective Barranger oi 
31, 1883, for obtaining by a confidence game $200 f rorr John 
W. Waters, in Washington. Johnson was returned to th 
for trial. On August 15, 1883, he arrested Carrie Shibe alias 
Trayner, for robbing Robert Comas of $200. On October 12, 
1883, he captured Walter Gordon, colored, for stealing 
watch and chain valued at §150 from Daniel Hays. Gordon 
was sentenced to three years in the penitentiary. 



OUR POLICE. 289 

A notorious " fence" was caught by Detective Barranger on 

March 15, 1884, when he arrested Franklin C. Bishop. For 

a long time the cars of the Baltimore and Ohio, Northern 

Central, and Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroads 

had been subject to the depredations of thieves, but the efforts to 

discover them were unavailing. Finally Detectives Barranger 

and Gault traced a stolen caddy of tobacco to Bishop's place, 

made a raid and recovered more than two wagon loads of stolen 

>erty. With Bishop they also arrested Foley Humphries, 

rge Riley, George Billups, and " Jake " Emerine, all boys, 

had been robbing the cars and carrying the plunder to 

op. The boys were sent to the House of Correction and 

op is now serving a term of three years under a conviction 

for i eceiving stolen goods in another case. After these arrests 

depredations on the railroad cars ceased, the whole gang 

being broken up. 

irly in the summer of 1886, a young man calling himself 

, Adams made his appearance in Baltimore, evidently at- 

ed by the facilities of enjoyment offered a man of means by 

?ay city. He immediately began a life of dissipation, and 

ig a certain class soon became known for his lavish expendi- 

of money. He rented a furnished house on Raborg street 

3 Pine street, in which he installed a woman known as Sadie 

on. Two other women were soon after placed there under 

his | rotection. Drives, expensive suppers, and all the associations 

of a fast life was the daily program of young Adams and his 

e companions. Shortly after the arrival of the stranger, 

info: nation was received at police headquarters that one Charles 

H -lock, a clerk in the office of the West Shore Railroad 

)any at Boston, had stolen $837 of the company's money 

and absconded. The case was placed in Detective Barranger's 

3, and an investigation disclosed that the fast young man, 

is, and the embezzling clerk, Hock, were identical, and on 

July 9, 1886, Detective Barranger took him into custody at the 

i on Raborg street. He was turned over to Inspector Watts 

of Boston, and taken to that city for trial. 




290 OUR POLICE. 

Detective Stephen J. O'Neill's connection with the police 
force of Baltimore began on June 22, 1875, when he was ap- 
pointed a patrolman and assigned to duty in the Western District. 
He was never connected with any other district than the Western 
until he received his assignment to the Detective Squad on 
November 11, 1886. Mr. O'Neill was born in Philadelphia on 
December 12, 1848. When he was seven months old his parents 
moved to Baltimore. Since that time he has lived constantly in 
this city. As a boy he attended the St. Peters Roman Catholic 
school, and afterwards learned the trade of machine moulding in 
the Mount Clare shops of the Baltimore and Ohio Railway 
Company. His apprenticeship ended in 1869, and at once ob- 
taining employment as a journeyman, he worked for the 
Baltimore and Ohio Company for six years, or until his appoint- 
ment to the police force in 1875. In 1881, on September 6, he 
was promoted to be sergeant, and three years later, having done 
much meritorious service in that position, he was raised to the 
rank of lieutenant. His commission was dated July 17, 1884. 
Finally, having acquired a good deal of celebrity by his arrest 
of John Thomas Ross, the murderer of Emily Brown, in the 
notorious burking case, and a vacancy occurring in the detective 
squad, he received an appointment as a detective on November 
11, 1886. The story of Mr. O'Neill's career on the police 
force is full of thrilling encounters with noted thieves, and 
sensational incidents in which celebrated criminals find the 
leading parts. He is now considered one of the ablest officers 
on the detective force. 

In 1877, while he was a patrolman in the Western District, 
he arrested a notorious negro ruffian named Matamora Cole. 
Policeman O'Neill was patrolling his beat on Howard street, 
when he saw Cole, whom he knew to be a professional sneak 
thief, enter Hecht's pawn-shop with a large quantity of clothing 
on his arm. O'Neill followed the fellow into the pawn-shop and 
found him trying to drive a bargain with the proprietor for the 
sale of the articles. Convinced that the goods were stolen the 
policeman sharply questioned the negro concerning them, and 
not receiving satisfactory replies to his queries took him into 



OUR POLICE. 291 

custody. The negro carried the clothing, consisting of coats, 
trousers, a saddle cloth, a riding habit, etc., on his right arm, 
while the policeman grasped his left. Suddenly the thief turned 
and quick as a flash flung the things around his captor's feet, 
completely tying him up. He then wrenched himself loose and 
started to run. Finding himself unable to move Officer O'Neill 
drew his pistol, and firing two or three shots into the air in rapid 
succession called to the fellow to halt. The latter, frightened at 
the whizz of a bullet close by his ear, obeyed. By this time the 
policeman had succeeded in ridding his feet of the incumbrance 
about them and he recaptured his man. It was discovered on 
reaching the station that the articles which Cole was trying to 
pawn had been stolen by him the night before, November 21, 
from the carriage house of Dr. George Rueling, in the rear of his 
residence, No. 79 West Monument street. Cole was sentenced to 
four years confinement in the Maryland State Penitentiary at 
hard labor. In prison he gave his keepers no end of trouble. 
He refused to work, and being forced to do so spoiled large quan- 
tities of the material which was put into his hands. He was 
finally set to cutting leather shoe soles, with a man watching him 
constantly to prevent him from doing mischief. Finding himself 
absolutely forced to work, he one day thrust his hand into a steam 
cutting machine and had the tops of the fingers of his left hand 
cut off. This expedient was unsuccessful, for as soon as the 
wound healed sufficiently he was set to laboring harder than ever. 
He was released in 1881, and shortly afterward was convicted 
of another theft and recommitted to prison, where he has spent 
the most of his time since. 

On July 12, 1881, Officer O'Neill arrested a negro named 
Elijah Brogdon, alias Charles Diamond, for safe-burglary. Brog- 
don was a notorious criminal, and though but thirty years of 
age had already served more that twelve years in the prisons of 
Maryland and Pennsylvania. After being released from the 
Moyamensing, Pennsylvania, prison, he came to Baltimore and 
got employment as a porter in the wholesale hat store of Mr. 
James E. Trott. While there he learned the combination of the 
safe-lock, and on the night of July 11, opened the safe and 



292 OUR POLICE. 

stole $100 in bills. The following morning Mr. Trott notified 
the police of the robber j. Officer O'Neill was put on the case. 
As soon as he learned that Brogdon was employed in Mr. 
Trott's store he felt convinced that he was the guilty man. He 
arrested the fellow and brought him to the station, where the 
negro afterwards confessed. Brogdon was sentenced to the peni- 
tentiary for four years. 

The " Oriole" of 1883 brought a great number of criminals 
from all parts of the country to Baltimore, and the police force 
of the city was put to its utmost resources to protect the property 
of the citizens from the depredations of the rascals. Wherever 
a policeman saw a professional " crook" he was ordered to arrest 
him as a suspicious person, to be held until the celebration was 
ended. Many such persons were incarcerated in the station- 
prisons on the night of September 4, 1883, the gala night of the 
" Oriole." About midnight, when the people returned from 
witnessing the parade, several complaints of burglary, simulta- 
neously reached the Western District station. As many as half 
a dozen private residences within the District had been entered 
during the parade and ransacked from top to bottom. Detective 
O'Neill, at that time a Sergeant of Police, was detailed to inves- 
tigate the burglary of No. 23 South Fremont street. He 
learned of several facts which led him to suspect three Philadel- 
phia thieves, two of whom were at the time locked up in the sta- 
tion, having been arrested by Captain of Detectives Freburger, 
and the third of whom was a boy of seventeen named Frank 
Cochran, alias Frank White, as vicious a youth as has ever been 
brought before the criminal bar in Baltimore. After searching 
all night for this youthful burglar, Sergeant O'Neill finally loca- 
ted him in a house of ill-fame in Raborg street, where he found 
him asleep and arrested him. In the station the sergeant suc- 
ceeded in extorting a confession from the boy, and induced the 
latter to agree to show him where the plunder he had stolen was 
hidden. Cochran led the sergeant to an out-house in the rear of 
No. 29 Raborg street, where he had been captured, and there 
brought forth a quantity of jewelry, etc., which was returned to 
its owners. At the trial of the three burglars they were 



OUR POLICE. 293 

convicted and sentenced to five years each in the penitentiary. 
They are still serving their terms. 

One of the most violent prisoners Detective O'Neill ever ar- 
rested was Edward Capp. This man was one of the phenomena 
of wickedness who are happily known to few outside of the po- 
lice. He was a reckless criminal from his boyhood, and for years 
previous to this arrest he never made any pretence of working 
honestly. He had served many terms in various prisons, scarcely 
leaving one place of confinement before he was caught at some 
crime that brought him into another. Strangely enough he was 
married to ^ respectable and pretty young woman, whom he 
treated with 1 great brutality, and several times nearly beat to 
death. On the night of June 4 1884, he and a " pal" under- 
took to rob the house of Mr. Richard Sutton, the Baltimore 
street dry-goods merchant, who lived in North Calhoun street 
near Franklin street. The burglars entered the lower part of 
the house and turned the gas on to light it. They let it blow 
for some time before applying the match, and a considerable 
amount of gas thus escaped up-stairs. Mrs. Sutton happened to 
be awake, and smelling the gas, feared there might be something 
the matter in her daughter's room. She arose and was going 
thither when she noticed a light below. Thinking it was her 
son, who had a habit of getting up early at that season of the 
year ' to go gunning, she went down stairs. On seeing two 
strange men bending over her sideboard she screamed and raised 
an alarm. The men rushed out of the house, but Capp's " pal " 
was caught by a policeman who saw him running through an 
alley. Detective O'Neill when he recognized the "pal" sus- 
pected at once that the other burglar was Capp. He went to 
the house of the latter in Burns's court, near the Western 
Schuetzen Park in South Baltimore, and there found his man 
lying across a bed in a semi-nude condition. Capp did not move 
as he saw O'Neill enter, and the latter understood at once that 
the man was going to resist arrest. The policeman ordered him 
to get up and dress, but the command was ignored. Capp's 
wife then begged him to submit peacefully to the officer. This 
aroused the brute to make a violent kick at her, which had he 



294 OUR POLICE. 

struck her must have inflicted severe injuries. Then the police- 
man grappled with the fellow and a struggle began which lasted 
more than twenty minutes without a respite. The two rolled 
about the room, breaking furniture and almost shaking the rickety 
house down. Capp bit and scratched and struck his captor at 
every opportunity. Finally they reached the top of the stairs 
and tumbled down the steep steps in each other's embrace. The 
fall seemed to have hurt Capp, for after he reached the bottom 
he threw up his hands and said he would surrender. He asked 
to be allowed to go up stairs and put on his clothing. As soon 
as O'Neill freed him the fellow made another blow at his wife. 
Then another struggle ensued in which Detective O'Neill came 
out victorious and took his man to the station, being obliged, 
however, to club him every few minutes to subdue him. Capp 
was tried for burglary, and being convicted was sentenced to the 
State Penitentiary for four years. A few weeks before the expi- 
ration of his sentence he committed suicide by jumping off a 
high corridor in the prison. His death ended the career of one 
of the most desperate white criminals who have troubled Balti- 
more in recent years. 

Detective Aquilla J. Pumphrey was born in this county on 
November 10, 1852. He was educated in the public schools of 
this city, his parents having removed him hither when he was a 
child, and he afterward learned the fruit-canning and preserving 
business. He worked at this trade until his appointment to the 
police force in 1875. He became a patrolman on February 12, and 
was detailed to the Southern precinct. His first promotion was 
to the position of station-house clerk in 1884. On June 16, 1885, 
he became a squad sergeant in the Southern district, afterward 
being made patrol sergeant. He served in the latter position 
until January 10, 1887, when he was appointed to his present 
position on the detective squad. While he was a policeman in 
uniform Mr. Pumphrey made a number of important arrests, and 
since his connection with the detective force he has been extremely 
active in the pursuit of criminals. 

On October 29, 1881, at the time when he was a private in the 
Southern station, he arrested Thomas Cooper, a noted burglar who 



OUR POLICE. 295 

had robbed a large number of houses in the new portions of the 
city. Baltimore at that time was suffering severely from the 
depredations of burglars, and the police seemed unable to prevent 
the robberies that were of almost nightly occurrence. On police- 
man Pumphrey's beat was the old Three Tuns Hotel at Pratt and 
Paca streets. The hotel, though formerly a very respectable 
house, was at that time known to be a favorite stopping place for 
thieves. One night the policeman noticed a man on the hotel. 
porch who he thought carried himself in rather a suspicious 
manner. As soon as the man saw the officer approaching he 
walked away. After he had done this several times Mr. Pum- 
phrey inquired of the hotel clerk who the man was. 

" Oh, he's a farmer from the country," replied the clerk. " His 
name is Thomas Cooper." 

Notwithstanding this information the policeman followed the 
man whenever he saw him leave the hotel. He usually walked 
about through the better streets, occasionally stopping to scruti- 
nize a house, but always returned to his hotel and disappeared to 
his bed-room before one o'clock. One night the policeman saw 
him stop before the house of Mr. Alfred S. Gardner at No. 305 
Lombard street, and look it over carefully. The man then 
returned to his hotel as usual, and the policeman assuming that 
he had retired for the night resumed the patrolling of his beat. 
A few hours later he learned from another officer that Mr. Gard- 
ner's house had been robbed. Notwithstanding the fact that he 
had seen the man go to his hotel apparently for the night, 
Policeman Pumphrey could not help connecting him with the 
burglary. He hurried back to the Three Tuns Hotel and inquired 
of the night clerk whether Mr. Cooper was in. 

" Yes ; he came in a little while ago, with a bundle," replied 
the clerk. 

Feeling convinced now that the thief was none other than 
Cooper, the policeman went to a drugstore on the opposite corner 
where he kept a suit of civilian's clothing. He hastily took off 
his uniform and dressed himself in the other suit. Then placing 
himself on watch before the hotel he was soon rewarded by seeing 
his man come out with a small package in his hand. This package 



296 OUR POLICE. 

was addressed and stamped for mailing. Cooper laid it on 
top of the letter box at Portland and Green streets, and then 
returned toward the hotel. As soon as he saw him enter the 
building, Policeman Pumphrey ran back to the letter box and 
looking at the package saw that it was addressed to a well-known 
Philadelphia " fence." He took the package and gave it to a 
clerk in the drug store on the corner for safe keeping, and then 
went back to the hotel intending to go to Cooper's room and 
arrest him. But just as he reached the hotel the man was coming 
out again with a large bundle. After letting him walk for a block 
or so Pumphrey arrested him. The fellow took his capture coolly 
enough. In his bundle was found a lot of clothing, silverware, and 
jewelry, which were afterward identified by Mr. Gardner as his 
property. The small package which was captured contained about 
$3,000 worth of bonds and checks which, together with a watch 
and $380 in money, the thief stole from Mr. William T. Shoe- 
maker, a drover who was visiting Mr. Gardner at the time of 
the burglary. Mr. Shoemaker had his vest containing his valua- 
bles under his pillow. The burglar drew the garment from its 
place and abstracted the watch, money, and papers without 
awakening the sleeping man. He then went through the entire 
house, facetiously stopping a clock at twenty minutes past two 
in order to inform the family what time the robbery took place. 
He had entered the building from the rear by boring two holes in 
a window, sash and then loosening the catch by putting his fingers 
through the openings Thanks to the skill and energy of police- 
man Pumphrey all the stolen property was returned to its owners 
the same morning on which the burglary took place, before the 
hour when the family usually breakfasted. 

Cooper promptly admitted not only that he had entered Mr. 
Gardner's house but that he had been the author of six other 
burglaries within the previous fortnight. Turning to policeman 
Pumphrey in the station-house, he said : 

"I always had a suspicion about you." 

"Then it was a case of mutual suspicion," returned the officer 
with a laugh. 

Cooper pleaded guilty to one indictment and was sentenced to 



OUR POLICE. % 297 

eighteen months imprisonment. He was one of the coolest and 
cleverest burglars who ever visited Baltimore. Yet he was almost 
always caught at his crimes, and he said that out of fifty years 
of his life he had spent more than twenty behind the bars. 

A safe burglary remarkable for its effrontery rather than for its 
importance, was that which took place in the counting-room of 
Mr. C. E. Eichler's feed store at South Howard and Pratt streets 
on October 14, 1882. At about two o'clock in the afternoon, 
when large numbers of persons were passing along both streets, 
a young man named Edward Stephens went by the Howard street 
entrance to Mr. Eichler's store, and seeing the office vacant 
walked in. He swung back the door of the large safe, and taking 
a small chisel pried open several of the interior drawers till he 
found the one in which the cash was kept. He shielded his 
actions from observation from the street only by turning his back 
to the open window. Just as he opened the money drawer Mr. 
Eichler's son, a youth of nineteen, saw the fellow and ran toward 
him. Stephens had time only to seize a five dollar bill and turn. 
A small memorandum book chanced to be between this bill and 
the money underneath it. Seeing himself confronted by young 
Mr. Eichler, the thief drew a revolver and pointing at the young 
man kept him off till he escaped through the door. But police- 
man Pumphrey, who happened to be outside gave chase and 
pursued the fellow until he finally caught him in a vacant house 
on Eutaw street into which he had run. He was hiding in a 
closet when caught. Stephens was convicted and sentenced to 
two years imprisonment. 

Another clever capture that won officer Pumphrey much praise 
was the arrest of Josiah Brooks, a colored thief who within a 
few days in December, 1881, committed burglaries upon Rouse, 
Hempstone & Co., Meyer, Reinhard & Co., Burgunder & Green- 
baum, and Broderick & Brothers, all large mercantile houses in 
this city. . The burglaries caused the police much perplexity, as 
the thief left no clew by which he could be traced. The burglary 
at Broderick & Brothers was discovered shortly after it occurred, 
and policeman Pumphrey heard of it from another officer. A 
few minutes later as he was patrolling Dover street near Green. 



298 OUR POLICE. 

it being then half-past five o'clock in the morning and dark, he 
saw a young negro standing in the second story window of a 
house smoking a cigar. He thought this a rather suspicious oc- 
currence, and he determined to investigate the circumstance as 
soon as the negro left his house. It was ten o'clock before he 
saw the fellow go out. Then under pretence of wishing to 
inspect the sanitary condition of the house, officer Pumphrey got 
into the room in which he had seen the negro smoking that 
morning. There he found on the bed two blankets which had 
been stolen from Broderick & Brothers, and also a number of 
other articles, proceeds of the same burglary. Pumphrey waited 
until the thief returned and arrested him. His name was Josiah 
Brooks. He was only twenty-one years old, and the series of 
robberies he had just committed were the first he had been en- 
gaged in. His arrest blighted his criminal career while it was 
still in the bud. He pleaded guilty to one charge and was 
sentenced to the penitentiary for three years. 

Shortly after officer Pumphrey 's appointment to the detective 
squad the cities of Baltimore and Washington were flooded with 
counterfeit silver dollars. Several persons who had been imposed 
upon gave the police a description of the man who was passing 
the spurious coins, and Detective Pumphrey was detailed to hunt 
the counterfeiter. On March 30 the detective learned that the 
man had been working in the vicinity of Liberty and Baltimore 
streets. He went thither at once and be°;an to make a tour of 
the shops in the neighborhood. In O'Brien's saloon in Liberty 
street he found the man trying to pass one of his coins on the 
bartender. Recognizing the detective the counterfeiter made a 
break for the street and started to run. He had not gone more 
than a block, however, when Detective Pumphrey caught him. 
At the police station he gave his name as Frederick Jordan 
Mezza, an Italian. He had already served three terms for 
counterfeiting. 

The case of Arthur M. Morrison, who was arrested by Detec- 
tive Pumphrey on April 24, 1887, created a considerable sensa- 
tion in this city and in Brockton, Massachusetts, the young man's 
home. Morrison is the " black sheep" of a highly respectable 



OUR POLICE. 299 

old New England family. His parents live in the quiet village 
of Brockton, his father being a wealthy farmer, cultivating a large 
tract of land just outside of the village. On April 5, Morrison, 
who is about thirty years old, arrived in Baltimore and registered 
at the Carrollton Hotel. He represented himself to be a detec- 
tive engaged on the Rahway murder case, and hired a horse and 
buggy from Mr. Manly, the Carrollton Hotel livery stable pro- 
prietor. He drove the horse to York, Pennsylvania, where he 
placed it in a stable, and hiring another and more valuable animal 
drove to Pittsburgh. He was attired in black clothing of a 
somewhat clerical cut, and on his way to Pittsburgh he called 
upon several Methodist clergymen, representing himself to be a 
foreign missionary on his way through the country collecting 
money to prosecute his mission work in Africa. He preached 
two missionary sermons in different country churches and de- 
livered three missionary discourses. In each church a collection 
was taken for the alleged missionary, and in one of them more 
than thirty dollars was secured. Morrison sold the horse and 
buggy when he arrived in Pittsburgh, and was next heard of in 
Brockton, Massachusetts, whither Detective Pumphrey went and 
arrested him at his parents' home. The young man was formerly 
a student at the Middletown, Connecticut, Wesleyan University, 
and .afterward studied theology at College Hill, Massachusetts. 
He was tried and convicted in three days, and was sentenced 
to seven years imprisonment in the Maryland Penitentiary, 
where he is now learning to make shoes. 

Detective John E. Reilly was born in Baltimore on February 
24, 1844. He was educated at public and private schools in the 
city and afterwards entered business as a butcher. He began 
his connection with the police Department as a patrolman on 
May 1, 1867, and was assigned to duty at the Central Station. 
On May 7, 1886, he was promoted to the sergeantcy, and on 
May 5, 1887 he was made a detective. 

While acting as patrolman Mr. Reilly greatly distinguished 
himself for coolness and bravery in connection with the explosion 
and fire at the Maryland Sugar Refinery at 0' Dennett's wharf, 
in July, 1870. On the day of the occurrence he was patrolling 



300 OUR POLICE. 

his beat, and pausing for a moment at a street corner about two 
squares from the refinery, stood idly gazing in that direction. 
Suddenly he heard a terrific explosion and saw the air about the 
tall building filled with flying debris. He immediately ran to the 
place of disaster and found the employees running away from 
the refinery in every direction. He saw that the explosion had 
occurred in the boiler room, which was almost completely 
wrecked, and had been deserted by the panic-stricken men em- 
ployed there. Nothing daunted, officer Reilly immediately en- 
tered and discovered that one of the large boilers had exploded, 
and that the furnaces under the remaining five were burning 
fiercely. He tried to find the safety-valve rope, so as to allow 
the steam to blow off, but the explosion.had shattered everything 
so thoroughly that the ropes were missing; and then, as the only 
other resource to prevent other explosions, set to work single- 
handed drawing the fires from the furnaces. This herculean task 
he accomplished safely, and thereby undoubtedly saved much valu- 
able property and perchance human lives from destruction. The 
explosion had injured several of the employes. By this time 
the fire engines had arrived on the scene. The fire resulting from 
the explosion had communicated to that part of the State Tobacco 
Warehouse No. 5, in which cotton was stored, and Officer Reilly 
perceiving smoke issuing from the roof of this building, after his 
gallant deed at the furnaces ran to see what he could do towards 
saving property in that direction. He went directly to the third or 
top story of the warehouse and saw that the tops of the bales of 
cotton immediately under the roof were burning, and tried to ex- 
tinguish the flames. The fire spread so rapidly that he was driven 
off, but he did not give up his single-handed fight until nearly 
overcome by the heat. He escaped, but not without injury, and 
was incapacitated for duty for three weeks. Officer Reilly was 
highly commended by the press and public at the time for his 
courageous behavior, and the Board of Police voted him fifty 
dollars as a reward for his services. The following letter was 
issued by the Board in regard to the matter : 



OUR POLICE. 301 

Office Board of Police Commissioners. 

Baltimore, August 3, 1870. 

John T. Gray, Esq., 

Marshal of Police. , 

Sir : — The Board of Police desire to express their high appreciation of the 
faithful manner in which the members of the force that were present at the 
scene of disaster at the recent occasion of the explosion of a boiler in the 
building of the Maryland Sugar refinery, performed their duty on that trying 
occasion, and especially commend the conduct of Sergeant Fields and patrol- 
men J. E. Beilly, J. T. Schaeffer, S. McElwen, Thomas Kernan, John K. 
Merrick, and J. H. Sappington. 

The Board further signify their approval of the courage and promptness 
displayed by officer J. E. Eeilly in reducing the fires in the remaining furna- 
ces of the establishment, thereby probably preventing greater destruction of 
property and the loss of life, and have directed the treasurer to pay him the 
sum of |50 as a substantial recognition of his services on that occasion. 
[Signed] JOHN W. DAVIS, 

President. 

In the spring of 1873 many complaints were made by ladies 
who had had their pockets picked of various sums of money 
about the Central Market. The manner of the larcenies showed 
that the thief was an adept at the business, but for a long time 
the officers were unable to fasten the crimes upon any one. 
Finally Officer Reilly, whose beat then took in the Central Market, 
was informed by a Mrs. Selinger that her pocket-book containing 
$80 and some papers had been stolen while she had been in the 
market. The officer's suspicions had been directed to Mary 
Moore, a woman who frequented the place, and he went in search 
of her. He found her at No. 8 Fish Market Space, arrested her, 
recovering the greater part of the money. The remains of the 
stolen pocket-book he found in the fire-place where Mary Moore 
had tried to burn it. She was recognized as a well known pick- 
pocket, and had previously served a term of imprisonment. 
She was convicted and sentenced to five years in the penitentiary. 

In the autum of 1875 Officer Reilly arrested Dr. Paul Shoupe, 
a bogus check man, who hailed from the northern part of New 
York State. The crime which got him into trouble here was the 
obtaining by means of a bogus check a quantity of jewelry from 



302 OUR POLICE. 

the store of Mrs. Rapine. He was tried, convicted, and a sen- 
tence of three years in the penitentiary imposed upon him. 
After his sentence he made a speech to the court with such telling 
effect that the judge reduced the sentence to one year in the City 
jail. After serving eight months of this term he was pardoned 
through the influence of the prison missionaries, whose sympathy 
he had enlisted in his behalf. He was a well educated man and 
very plausible of address. The next Officer Reilly heard of him 
was the announcement that he had been drowned at "Watertown, 
New York. 



OUR POLICE. 30S 



CHAPTER XII. 

Commanders of Districts. 

ancient and modern history. — the late captain william 

delanty. — captain farnan of the central district. 

the assault on captain clayton. — murder of louis 
schmidt.— took him to the station despite the mob. — 
captain cadwallader of the western district. — the 
killing of henry mesnering. — how murderer foster 
was arrested. — detecting the murderers of douglass 
love. — he cut his neck ",in half." — captain auld of 
the eastern district. — running down a gang of bur- 
glars. — the riots of 1861. — an expert check swindler. 

The dividing line between what might be called the ancient 
and the modern history of the Baltimore police can be drawn 
with perfect distinctness at the point where what is now popularly- 
known as the " reorganization of the police " began. This was 
in the month of April, 1867. All the events that transpired 
previously to this time belong in the annals of by-gone days ; 
everything that has taken place since has a living and present 
significance. 

When Messrs. Carr, Fusselbaugh and Jarrett became Police 
Commissioners in 1867, under the new law, the city was divided 
into four police districts ; the Middle, the Eastern, the Western, 
and the Southern. In all these districts the station-houses were 
old structures, that did well enough for the times in which they 
were built, but which were altogether inadequate to the needs of 
such a police force as Baltimore then had. 

The Middle district station-house, at the corner of Holliday 
and Saratoga streets, was a small brick, two-story building. It 
was the oldest of the four stations, having been built originally 
as a "watch house," in the early part of the century. The 
lower floor, which was the only place where police business was 



304 OUR POLICE. 

transacted, the upper story being used as a sleeping room for the 
night reserves of the squad, was originally one large room. This 
was divided almost in half by a partition, making a front apart- 
ment, in which was the captain's desk, etc., and which answered 
also as a drill-room for the policemen. The rear apartment was 
again divided into two parts, with a narrow hallway running 
between them. Here the prisoners were kept ; the females on one 
side and the males on the other. The drainage of the building 
was so defective that a foul odor lingered constantly about the 
place. At last, in view of the utter inadequacy of such a struc- 
ture to the needs of the force, the City Council passed a resolution 
providing for the purchase of the land upon which the present 
"Central" station-house, as it is now called, was built, and for 
the erection of the building. 

The first captain appointed for the Middle district under the 
new Board of Police was John Mitchell, who had many years pre- 
viously been high constable of the town. In October, 1874, he 
resigned, and Captain John Lannan, of the Northwestern district, 
was appointed to fill his place. In the latter part of 1885, upon 
the promotion of Captain Lannan to the rank of Deputy-marshal, 
Captain Farnan, the present commander of the district, assumed 
his position. 

The second oldest station-house is the Eastern. Though this 
was never so poor a place for a police station quarters as the old 
Middle district watch house, it was far from meeting the de- 
mands of the reorganized force of 1867, and by acts of the City 
Council it was enlarged on one occasion, and has been several 
times altered and repaired. The more recent improvements have 
been effected under the direction of the Police Commissioners 
themselves, the money for the work being drawn from the 
" special fund " in the hands of the Board. 

Benjamin F. Kenney assumed command of the police of the 
Eastern district under the reorganization. Upon his death, in 
November, 1883, he was succeeded by Lieutenant Auld, the 
present captain. 

The third district organized in Baltimore was the Western. 
Its old station-house was a quaint looking little building, on 



OUR POLICE. 307 

Greene street, south of Baltimore street. The present station is 
an ample and pleasing structure on Pine street, adjoining Pin 
alley. The Police Board of 1867 appointed Mr. W. H. Cassell, 
captain of the district. He was an old and efficient policeman^ 
haying been captain of the police under earlier regimes. After 
a few months Captain Cassell resigned, and he was succeeded on 
October 14, by Captain George W. Zimmerman. Mr. Zimmer- 
man commanded the Western district for nearly five years, 
when he resigned on May 14, 1872, and Lieutenant Thomas 
Moore was promoted to take his place. Captain Moore fell very 
ill a few days after his appointment, and on the 14th of May he 
died. Lieutenant Daniel Lepson was then made Captain, and 
remained in command at the Western station-house until August, 
1884, when, upon the establishment of the Southwestern district, 
he was appointed to take charge of and organize the new force 
there. Lieutenant John Baker was promoted to the captaincy, 
and filled Captain Lepson's vacated place until October 12, 1886, 
when Captain Cadwallader was appointed to command the force. 
At the same time, Captain Lepson was. retired on half pay, and 
Captain Baker assumed his position in the Southwestern. 

The last of the four old stations to be established was the 
Southern. This district is to-day the largest in the city. 
The new Commissioners of 1867 appointed Jacob Frey to be 
captain there. Captain Frey fulfilled his duties so creditably 
that he was appointed Deputy-marshal after three years. He is 
now marshal of the police. In the Southern district his ablest 
assistant was sergeant William Delanty. The commissioners 
appointed this gentleman to the vacated captaincy. Few police 
captains ever filled their positions more acceptably to everybody 
than did the late Captain Delanty. He had been a well-known 
citizen before he joined the police force, which he first did in 
1861, under Marshal Kane. His is the only case in the history of 
the Department where a sergeant has been promoted directly to a 
captaincy. As captain he was so thorough in his work, so just to 
his men, and to all who had business at the old Southern station, 
and so honest, upright, kind-hea'rted and genial that everybody 
who knew him respected and admired him. His popularity ob- 



308 OUR POLICE. 

tained for him the soubriquet of " Mayor of South Baltimore." 
On December 8, 1886, the Police Board retired the captain on a 
pension. His retirement grieved the old policeman deeply. He 
died on July 26, 1887. At Captain Delanty's funeral the pall- 
bearers were Deputy-marshal Lannan and police captains George 
W. Earhart, Lewis W. Cadwallader, John Baker, Charles H. 
Claiborne, Thomas F. Farnan, Benjamin F. Auld, and Philip 
J. Barber. 

The history of the new stations, the Northwestern, the North- 
eastern, and the Southwestern is embodied in the sketches of 
their respective captains in the next chapter. Captain Delanty 
was succeeded at the Southern station by Captain Charles H. 
Claiborne. 

The Central District. 

Captain Thomas F. Farnan commands the Central Police 
district, a province which includes the commercial and financial 
centers of the city." Captain Farnan's command patrols the 
heart of the municipality, and the one hundred and seventy- 
four men who compose it find themselves kept busy at their 
work. The district is bounded as follows: From the corner 
of Howard and Pratt streets to Liberty street, thence to Park 
street, to Cathedral street, to Boundary avenue, thence to Green- 
mount avenue; from the west side of Greenmount avenue to 
Madison street, to Aisquith street, to Baltimore street, and to 
Central avenue, to Pratt street, to West Falls avenue and the 
water front ; from the water front back to Pratt and Howard 
streets. This district includes most of the fine buildings in the 
city. Some of these are the City Hall, the United States Court 
House, the Post Office (both the old and the new buildings), the 
Custom House, the Peabody Institute, the art gallery of William 
T. Walters, the Pratt Library, the Baltimore & Ohio Railway Com- 
pany's general offices, the Masonic Temple, Odd Fellow's Hall, 
Pythian Hall, the residence of Robert Garrett, and the home of 
Postmaster Frank Brown. It contains most of the banking 
institutions, the Holliday Street Theatre and the Monumental 
Theatre, and the offices of the Baltimore American, the Sun, the 






. 






:!lt m 




THOMAS F. FARNAN, 
Captain of the Central District. 



OUR POLICE. 311 

Herald, and the Evening News, the building of the Chamber of 
Commerce, and the Belair and Marsh Markets. 

Captain Farnan was born in Baltimore on March 15, 1846, 
and in point of years is still a young man. He secured part of 
his early education in the public schools and part at Calvert Hall, 
a Catholic institution of great educational influence in the city. 
The lad had become so thoroughly determined to begin life for 
himself that his parents acceded to his importunities -when he was 
but seventeen years old, and he began to make money as an 
errand boy in a music store kept by Mr. J. T. Stoddard in 
Calvert street. There the boy remained one year, but at the end 
of that time he decided that he did not fancy mercantile life and 
his parents apprenticed him to the trade of house carpenter. 
After a brief experience with this branch young Farnan thought 
he might like the calling of a machinist better, and persuaded his 
family to assist him in this desire. He finally found employment 
in the machine works owned by Charles Reeder and Son, and 
there learned his trade of millwright. Again the ambition to 
better himself seized the young man, and having had a fancy for 
the calling of a policeman he made a formal application to the 
heads of the police department for the position of a patrolman, 
and on April 30, 1867, was appointed to serve in the Southern 
District by the then commissioners : President Lefevre Jarrett, 
James E. Carr, and W. H. B. Fusselbaugh. 

It was then that his successful career as a police officer was 
begun ; a career which has reached what is one of the most 
important commands in the service. Because of faithful and 
meritorious service President Jarrett advanced Officer Farnan to 
the post of sergeant on February 1, 1880, and he took one 
more step on the ladder when, on April 24, 1871, President 
Fusselbaugh, the then head of the police board, appointed Ser- 
geant Farnan to be lieutenant. The young officer was reappointed 
lieutenant successively on April 24, 1875, 1879, and 1883, and 
finally attained command of a district when he was assigned 
on October 15, 1885, to direct the work of the Southern. Captain 
Farnan remained in command there for but one day when he was 
transferred to the Central station. 



312 OUR POLICE. 

Captain Farnan has ever since his joining the force been an 
enthusiastic follower of his profession. He has had experience 
with the most desperate of criminals, and he has met cunning with 
a superior intelligence which invariably has led to success for him 
and the defeat of the schemes of the evil doers. He had achieved 
considerable reputation for being an alert officer, when on Jan- 
uary 7, 1869, he made an arrest in a case which had aroused the 
horror and indignation of the community. About a year before 
the date of the arrest Captain Wallace Clayton, of the schooner 
Pringy, then lying at Bowly's Wharf, was attacked by some 
unknown persons while he was asleep in his cabin. The assault upon 
him had been of the most brutal character. The ruffians forced 
their way into the captain's room and there found him slumbering 
quietly in his berth, dreaming, as he afterward said, of his wife 
and little one whom he had left in New England. The thieves 
carried no lights with them, but groped their way towards the 
sleeping man, led by the heavy breathing from the berth. As 
they approached the captain he was warned by an intuitive sense 
of danger and started from his slumbers. The ruffians leaped 
upon him before he had a chance to defend himself and garroted 
him. He struggled with his assailants desperately and sought to 
call some of the members of his crew who were asleep in the 
forecastle. But his cries were smothered and his struggles were 
of no avail. The word " help" was stopped in his throat by the 
fierce grasp of his assailants, and when he sought to draw a clasp 
knife from his belt the ruffians picked up a heavy bar in the room 
and struck him over the head, making him unconscious. Not 
content with this the would-be murderers again attacked the help- 
less man and one of them in a spirit of devilishness seldom equaled, 
cut out the captain's left eye and abandoned him, bathed in blood 
and dying. Then they ransacked the vessel and carried away a 
large amount of money, most of which was found in the captain'3 
state-room. The clue left by the ruffians was almost nothing. 
Officer Farnan was put upon the case, and for many months he 
devoted his entire attention to searching for a further con- 
firmation of some suspicions which he had. By tracing the 
merest thread to some bad characters who had been seen on the 



OUR POLICE. 



night of the crime loitering about the vessel he succeeded in 
running down one George Woods, alias George Moore, a des- 
perate negro. When arrested Woods protested his innocence 
and endeavored to estalish an alibi, but the web of circumstantial 
evidence which had been woven about him by Officer Farnan's 
work was made conclusive by the identification of the man by 
Captain Clayton as his assailant. Woods was tried and convicted 
by Judge Gilmore, and sentenced by that magistrate to fifteen 
years imprisonment in the Maryland Penitentiary. 

The case in which Captain Farnan particularly distinguished 
himself as one of the shrewdest officers in the force took place 
while he was lieutenant at the Southern district. At about 
midnight on September 28, 1878, Baltimore was being threatened 
with a heavy storm ; the thick clouds having obscured the 
bright moonlight, the city was left almost in darkness. An 
undersized man was walking along one of the streets leading 
from Hughes street half intoxicated. As he passed the entrance 
of an alley, the name of which was unknown to him, he met a 
rather pretty colored girl. She glanced at him somewhat curi- 
ously, and he being too drunk to be mindful of consequences, 
spoke to her. He accompanied her into the alley way, w T ith her 
permission. He soon left her, but as he was departing from the 
alley he met a burly negro who stopped him, demanding, with an 
oath, " what he was there for." The girl rushed toward the men 
and seeing that trouble was likely to follow, cried out : 

" For God's sake, Jack, let the old man alone !" 

This entreaty was of no avail. " Jack" seized the man about 
the neck, drew a heavy dirk-knife and stabbed him repeatedly in 
the breast. Then uttering the most horrible curses, he threw the 
wounded man from him and rushed away. The stranger dragged 
himself to the gate of the alley and cried as loudly as his ebbing 
strength would allow : 

" Help, police — I'm cut to death !" 

Still crawling along and still uttering his pitiable prayer 
for assistance, the wounded man finally attracted the attention of 
an officer and was taken to Dr. Dodge's office in Hanover street. 
The policeman posted a man to tell his chief. Lieutenant Farnan 



314 OUR POLICE. 

happened to be behind the desk that night, and the messenger 
told him of the probable murder. The lieutenant ran to the 
physician's office and there found the wounded man to be Louis 
Schmidt, a Frenchman, who said he did not know who had stabbed 
him or where the cutting had occurred. He only knew, he said, 
that it had been done in " a narrow alley running off a small 
street." When the officer inquired whether the alley was far 
away, the dying man replied that he thought it was about "two 
squares." 

Lieutenant Farnan lighted a lantern, and after inspecting 
several alleys found himself in Hughes street. The wounded 
man had bled excessively and the officer hoped to use the blood- 
stains as a ghastly trail to the criminal. In a small alley near 
Sharp street the lieutenant found some stains, and upon entering 
the court discovered a pool of blood. The place where the 
stabbing had occurred had been found. The lieutenant at once 
entered the only house which opened into the alley, and with 
the assistance of some officers arrested every person in it. 
When the prisoners had been locked up one of them "weakened," 
and at his cell the lieutenant obtained the information that a negro 
named John Heath had stabbed Schmidt because the latter had 
been talking to the former's girl. Schmidt died a week after. 
Heath was arrested, tried and sentenced to be hanged by Judge 
Gilmore. The Governor, however, commuted his sentence to a 
life imprisonment. 

Among other crimes in which Captain Farnan was personally 
the detecting and arresting officer, was that which led to the 
arrest of Thomas Lour on May 19, 1868, for entering a residence 
in Guilford avenue and stealing $225 worth of clothing. On 
May 19, 1869, he arrested Robert Blake and John Gale, both 
colored, for entering a store in Chestertown, Kent county, and 
stealing $600 of clothing, for which the men were sentenced to 
five years in the Penitentiary. On August 24, 1870, he arrested 
and secured the conviction of Charles Walker on the charge of 
burglary. On March 6, 1879, he arrested Joseph Reed, a negro, 
for committing burglary at No. 112 York street. 

Lieutenant Farnan, while he has always been the dread of all 



OUR POLICE. 315 

classes of evil doers, has a special antipathy to burglars, and he 
has arrested a large number of them. His determination to root 
them out of his neighborhood has become so manifest that it has 
become generally understood among local "crooks" it is wise to 
let Captain Farnan' s district alone. Three of the more notorious 
of this class of criminals who were captured by the commander 
of the Central district were Charles Simpson and James McCarthy, 
who were convicted of breaking into No. 124 South Sharp street 
on January 27, 1871 ; and James H. Royal, alias Samuel Short, 
who was captured for a similar crime after a desperate resistance 
on October 23, 1875. 

During the "miners' riot" of 1877 Mr. Farnan saw hard 
service as lieutenant under the command of Captain Delanty 
of the Southern district. The force was then stationed for 
three days and nights at the Camden station, Lieutenant Farnan 
having but three officers. When the Fifth regiment arrived at 
the depot the mob began to brickbat them, but by herculean 
efforts the lieutenant and his squad drove the crowd back and 
succeeded in getting the regiment into the inclosure. During 
these riots Mr. Farnan was struck by a stone, but fortunately 
was not seriously injured. But this, was not because the lieu- 
tenant did not place himself in danger. One incident of that 
time is valuable in showing the bravery of the officer. The Fifth 
regiment had scarcely appeared at the railway station when 
Lieutenant Farnan saw a strapping fellow in the crowd throw a 
stone at the troops. Mr. Farnan immediately went up to 
him and arrested him. As he did so one of the policemen stand- 
ing near declared that he might as well let him go again, as no 
officer with a prisoner would be allowed to go through the mob, 
the rioters rescuing all their sympathizers. 

"But I have arrested this man," replied Lieutenant Farnan, 
" and I intend taking him to the station." 

Handcuffs were placed upon the fellow's wrists, and Mr. Far- 
nan and his prisoner started for the Southern station. The pair 
were hustled and elbowed by the crowd, but no decided attempt 
at a rescue was made until they reached Lee street, between 
Sharp and Howard streets. There a desperate mob surrounded 



316 



OUR POLICE. 



the officer and his charge. There was likely to be serious trouble, 
and the brave policeman set his teeth and was ready to meet the 
worst. The rioters cried : 

" Rescue the lad ! rescue him !" But a determined front was 
shown. The threats of the crowd became so violent and the 
hustling so severe that ladies looking from the windows of the 
neighboring houses cried to Mr. Farnan, begging him to enter 
their houses and save himself from death. But Lieutenant Far- 
nan was not that sort of a man. He drew his revolver and 
placing its muzzle against his prisoner's head, said : 

" Tell them that you don't Want to be rescued, that you are 
going with me willingly, or I'll blow your brains all over them." 

This threat was sufficient for the prisoner. He did as he was 
told, and Lieutenant Farnan earned the distinction of being the 
only policeman who got through the mob with a prisoner. 

On October 15, 1880, Captain Farnan arrested George Wilson, 
a notorious thief, and furnished sufficient evidence of his evil 
doings to secure his sentence to the penitentiary for one year. 
In the following December he arrested William Johnson for 
entering No. 25 North Broadway, and stealing a large amount 
of valuable property, for which Johnson was sent to the peniten- 
tiary for two years. He captured Philip Gordon, a colored 
burglar, for breaking into No. 20 Washington avenue, and shortly 
afterwards arrested John Kennard, a negro, for assaulting and 
shooting Isaac Garner, another negro. The last case in which 
Lieutenant Farnan personally made an arrest was that of Peter 
Keyser, who robbed the Baltimore and Ohio Railway company 
of large quantities of iron. Lieutenant Farnan caused Keyser 
to receive a sentence of two years in the penitentiary. Since 
Mr. Farnan has commanded the Central district he has waged 
war against policy shops and gambling houses with so much 
success that there are fewer of these evils now than ever before 
since the organization of the present department. 

Captain Farnan has an absolutely clean police record. Not 
even the most trifling charge has been made against him to the 
commissioners. His men know this and they serve the city with 
added enthusiasm when led by a man whom they greatly respect. 



OUR POLICE. 317 

On the evening of July 25, 1887, Captain Farnan was the 
recipient of an unexpected and most gratifying honor. The men 
were assembled for evening roll-call, and the captain was just 
taking his place behind his desk when Lieutenant Frazier stepped 
up and read the following address : 

"To Captain Thomas F. Farnan, 

Central Police District. 

" Dear Sir : — The members of the police force of the Central 
district, to which you have been assigned to duty for the past 
twenty-one months, have observed with much pleasure and satis- 
faction your course as executive officer of the district. They 
have been much impressed with your zeal and fidelity in the dis- 
charge of important, onerous and often delicate duties entrusted 
to you. We feel that your superiors are to be commended for their 
selection in choosing you for your position. The example you 
furnish in the tireless energy with which you prosecute your du- 
ties cannot but have a salutary eifect upon those who serve 
under you, as well as merit the approbation of the people, 
who have reason to expect a high degree of efficiency in the 
police organization. 

" In your relations to us, while exacting a full measure of duty 
as demanded by the regulations for our government, and the strict 
enforcement of the discipline so essential to a properly organized 
force, you have been suave and affable and have given us wise and 
practical counsel. We have regarded with much appreciation 
your general conduct, and desire to so testify it by bestowing 
upon you the accompanying souvenir, which we beg you to ac- 
cept. 

"It is our hope that you may have a long life of continued 
usefulness and enjoy the consciousness of having performed your 
duty well. May the hands of this time-keeper only record mo- 
ments which may bring you prosperity." 

The lieutenant then handed Captain Farnan a large and 
handsome gold, stem-winding time-piece, made by the American 
Watch Company, of Waltham, Massachusetts, attached to a chain 



318 OUR POLICE. 

composed of massive gold links, and of extra length. The cap- 
tain's monogram, " T. F. F.." was engraved on one of the covers 
of the watch, and on the inside of the back lid were inscribed the 
following words : 

" Presented to Captain Thomas F. Farnan by the officers of the 
Central District, July 25, 1887." 

Captain Farnan was completely taken aback when Lieutenant 
Frazier finished his speech and advanced with the beautiful gift 
in his hand. The officers applauded, and then the captain, in a 
short but feeling address, expressed his great gratification at the 
unexpected honor. The occasion was a thorough surprise to 
Captain Farnan. When Lieutenant Frazier began speaking, he 
listened in mystified astonishment, not realizing the purport of 
the remarks until he had nearly finished. 

Lieutenant James H. Busick was born in Cambridge, Dor- 
chester county, Maryland, on August 22, 1827. He entered the 
police department as a patrolman on May 1, 1867. On January 
5, 1871, he was promoted to the sergeancy and was made lieu- 
tenant on May 27, 1874. The duties of a lieutenant of police in 
Baltimore prevent him from taking an active, out-of-door part in 
the pursuit of criminals. His post is in the station-house all the 
time, from the minute he goes on duty until he is relieved by his 
alternate. At the station-house, however, he receives all the 
prisoners arrested in his district, and his experience with wrong- 
doers is ample and varied. Previously to his promotion to the 
lieutenancy, Mr Busick made many important arrests. Among 
them was the apprehension, in company with two other police- 
men, of James Cullen and William J. Clarke, for the murder of 
Patrick Cullen, in May, 1870. Mr. Busick, who was a patrol- 
man at the time, was standing on Sunday afternoon with two 
friends both policemen, at a corner of Belair Market, when sud- 
denly the sounds of four pistol-shots were heard. The three 
officers ran in the direction of the sounds, and in a neighboring 
alley found the two men whom they arrested, with pistols still 
smoking in their hands. Their victim lay on the pavement, a 
sacrifice to a drunken brawl. Cullen and Clarke were convicted 



OUR POLICE. 323 

of murder in the second degree and were sentenced to long terms 
of imprisonment. 

Lieutenant William H. Frazier was born in Baltimore on 
October 17, 1826. He was appointed a patrolman on April 25, 
1867, and was made a sergeant on June 9, 1868. He was pro- 
moted to the lieutenancy on April 28, 1875. Thus it will be seen 
that the connection of Lieutenant Frazier with the department has 
been almost contemporaneous with that of Lieutenant Busick in the 
positions that each have held. Since his appointment as lieutenant, 
Mr. Frazier has had occasion to make the arrest of one malefactor 
whose foul deed roused the community to a pitch of excitement 
seldom witnessed in Baltimore. This was the capture of the burly 
negro wife-murderer, Charles Coster, in 1870. The murder took 
place in a negro's dwelling on Holliday street close by the old 
Middle district station. A horror-stricken neighbor ran into the 
station-house at 5 o'clock in the morning and informed the Lieu- 
tenant, who was on duty at the time, what had taken place. Lieu- 
tenant Frazier ran around to Coster's apartment and found Mrs. 
Coster, a middle-aged negress, lying on the dining-room floor. 
Her throat was cut from ear to ear, and the entire apartment was 
strewn with gore. He caught Coster hiding in a cupboard. The 
couple had the reputation of being very religious, and Coster 
escaped the gallows by claiming that it was under the influence 
of a religious frenzy that he had murdered his wife. 

Sergeant Frank J. Toner was born in Ireland, on March 17, 
1849. He has been a policeman in Baltimore since May 12, 
1871. After much meritorious service as a patrolman he was 
made a sergeant on February 17, 1882, which rank he occupied 
until January 5, 1887, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy 
on the detective force. After four months' service under Captain 
Freburger he resigned from the secret service and was reap- 
pointed a sergeant in the Central district. Sergeant Toner has 
done much service in weeding out the gambling dens, opium 
joints and other illegitimate places of resort which constantly 
spring up in the midst of great cities. 

So early as 1873, in company with detective Schaffer, he dis- 
tinguished himself by capturing Lemuel Witts and Jacob Evans. 



324 OUR POLICE. 

two grave-robbers, who had desecrated several tombs and vaults 
in the Glendy cemetery. On September 27, 1884, after a long 
chase, which ended in a severe struggle with the prisoner, Ser- 
geant Toner captured John H. Remper, a notorious burglar ; and 
on February 12, 1885, he arrested Joseph Prior, a well-known 
pickpocket and thief, with many aliases. While connected with 
the detective force Mr. Toner made many clever captures. His 
record is a long and honorable one. 

Sergeant Joseph J. Gilbert was born in Baltimore on December 
4, 1852, and was appointed to the police force as a patrolman on 
January 27, 1881. He was made a sergeant on August 4, 1884. 

Sergeant Ambrose A. Ryan was born in Baltimore on March 
17, 1852. He was appointed to the police as patrolman on De- 
cember 21, 1875, and was made a sergeant on April 26, 1882. 

Sergeant William Barker was born in Virginia on February 
22, 1830. He entered the police department as a patrolman on 
April 25, 1867, and was promoted to the sergeancy on June 28, 
1875. 

Sergeant Henry Shoemack was born in this city on August 8, 
1847. He was appointed a patrolman on November 29, 1876, 
and was made a sergeant on April 12, 1882. 

Sergeant Martin P. Schimp was born here on December 28, 
1835. He was appointed a patrolman on January 12, 1867; 
resigned in July of the same year, and was reappointed on Sep- 
tember 2, 1868. He was commissioned as sergeant on June 1, 
1870. 

Sergeant Louis Kirsch was born in Baltimore on December 10, 

1838. He was appointed to the police department as a patrol- 
man on April 15, 1870, and promoted to be sergeant on Septem- 
ber 30, 1875. 

Sergeant James A. Nippard was born in Baltimore on March 1, 

1839. He entered the department as a patrolman on January 11, 
1873, and was promoted to the sergeancy on June 13, 1876. 
On the night of March 29, 1882, Sergeant Nippard was assaulted 
with a brick by a negro named Samuel Peterson, whom he had 
arrested for larceny. 






OUR POLICE. 325 

Sergeant George Clautice was born in this city on August 26, 
1838. He was appointed a patrolman on September 23, 1873, 
and was promoted to be sergeant on June 3, 1883. He served 
on the old police force in 1860-61. 

Sergeant William G. Scott was born here on June 5, 1849, 
and entered the police department as a patrolman on December 2, 
1876. He was commissioned as sergeant on March 19, 1885. 

Sergeant William B. Rowe was born near Port Tobacco, 
Charles County, Maryland, on November 23, 1839. He became 
a sergeant after serving as a patrolman on April 29, 1875. 

Sergeant Charles Reinhardt was born in Baltimore on January 
11, 1841. He was appointed to the police force on December 2, 
1871, and was promoted to the sergeancy on April 16, 1875. 

Sergeant Edward F. Meehan is a Baltimorean, having been 
born here on April 6, 1855. He became a member of the police 
force on August 25, 1881. He was made a sergeant on April 9, 
1886. 

Sergeant James Harvey was born in Ireland on June 21, 1828, 
After serving several years as a patrolman he was on June 1, 
1870, promoted to be sergeant. 

The Western District. 

The Captain of the Western district is Lewis W. Cadwallader 
formerly in command of the detective squad at police head- 
quarters. Captain Cadwallader was appointed on the police 
force in 1861, and during his long service in all the grades from 
patrolman to captain has undergone many stirring adventures. 
He was born in this city on November 6, 1836, and attended the 
public schools. His first employment was by the Baltimore and 
Ohio Railroad Company, where from 1853 to 1861 he was an 
inspector of cars at the Mount Clare and the Camden stations. 
On June 27, of the latter year he secured an appointment to the 
police force as patrolman in the Western district, and since then 
he has been in one capacity or another and through many regimes 
and changes, constantly in the employ of the Police department 
of Baltimore. Having served as a policeman through the war 
period, Captain Cadwallader was at no time in either the Union 



326 OUR POLICE. 

or the Confederate army or navy. His first promotion was from 
patrolman to sergeant on August 14, 1862, about a year after 
his joining the force. He served as sergeant until May 14, 
1872, during which time he made many important arrests. On 
the latter date he was promoted to be lieutenant, and ten years 
later on April 10, 1882, having on many occasions shown his 
peculiar fitness for the position, he was commissioned by the 
police board as captain in charge of the detective department of 
the force. On October 12, 1886, he was transferred back to his 
old station, the Western, of which he still remains in command. 
The "Western district as it is now constructed covers some of the 
most valuable business property in the City of Baltimore. The 
station-house is in Pine street, between Lexington and Saratoga 
streets. The boundaries of the district are as follows : beginning 
at the northwest corner of Howard and Pratt streets, along the 
west side of Howard street to Liberty street, and along the west 
side of Liberty street to Park avenue ; thence to Franklin street ; 
and westerly along the south side of that street, which forms the 
northern boundary, to Schroeder street, which is the western 
boundary ; thence to Pratt street, which extends along the south 
of the district. 

To guard this important district Captain Cadwallader has a 
force of sixty-two men, exclusive of himself. Forty-eight of 
these are patrolmen, two are lieutenants, nine aie sergeants, one 
being day patrol sergeant, another night patrol sergeant, and the 
other seven, squad sergeants, and two turnke}^. Lender the 
guardianship of this force are eight important banks : the West- 
ern National, the Howard National, the Drovers' and Mechanics', 
the Commercial and Farmers, the Eutaw Savings, the Arlington 
Savings, the German Savings, and the Border State Savings. 
There are also a large number of hotels and places of amuse- 
ment, the principal of which are the Eutaw House and the Howard 
House, Ford's Opera House, the Concordia Opera House, and the 
German ia Opera House, besides Lexington Market and eight 
public schools. 

Few policemen have made more arrests or more important ones 
than Captain Cadwallader has since his connection with the Balti- 



*:::.§& 




LEWIS W. CADWALLADER, 

Captain of the Western District. 



OUK POLICE. 6ZV 

more police force. The books in the possession of the department 
show the following in a much greater list of captures. In May, 
1863, while he was sergeant, he arrested "Sol." Tarlton, a noto- 
rious burglar, for robbing the dwellings of Mr. James Hooper, 
at Govanstown, Dr. Eichelberger and Mr. William Taylor, both 
at Catonsville, and Seeger & Steifel's and Asa Needham's stores, 
on the Frederick road. All these robberies took place in Balti- 
more county. Tarlton stole much money, silverware, etc. He 
was convicted in the criminal court of this city, and sent to the 
Maryland Penitentiary for ten years by Judge Bond. In June, 
1863, Sergeant Cadwallader arrested Lizzie Warner, a notorious 
shop-lifter, for stealing silks, etc., from Hamilton Easter's, James 
McFurlong's and James Getty's dry goods stores. During the 
same month he arrested Ellen Conway and Mary Turner. These 
women were house-servant thieves, and were prosecuted for rob- 
bing the dwelling of George W. Payne of jewelry, clothing, etc. 
Both women were convicted and sent to the penitentiary by 
Judge Bond. Later in June he arrested Jane Bevell, Mary 
Revell and Martha Revell ; also, Mary F. Gray, Joseph Thomas 
and Jemima Blackston, hotel and house servants, for robbing the 
Howard House, Professor D. W. Woodward, Joshua Goodwin, 
and A. C. Tinville of articles amounting to $1,000. All were 
convicted in the criminal court and sent to prison. 

- On May 7, 1864, as Sergeant Cadwallader was riding up Penn- 
sylvania avenue, then known as the Hookstown road, he saw a 
young man running out of Barringer's slaughter house with a 
heavy gash across his forehead and bleeding from a wound in his 
left side. The sergeant leaped from the car and recognized the 
young man as Henry Mesnering, a butcher in the slaughter 
house, who was noted all through the neighborhood for his phe- 
nomenal strength. 

"Jim Gibbons cut me," said the wounded man as Sergeant 
Cadwallader approached him. As the words left his lips he 
fainted. 

Gibbons had run to the rear of the slaughter house yard and 
was about to escape when the sergeant pursued and captured him. 
When they returned Mesnering lay dead. Knowing that a crowd 






330 OUR POLICE. 

would be apt to assemble as soon as the news of the affray spread, 
the sergeant hurried his prisoner to the station. He reached it 
just in time, for Mesnering's brother had heard of the killing, 
and gathering a crowd of his friends pursued the prisoner. If 
they had caught him before he had reached the station it is 
probable that they would have killed him. It was afterward 
learned that an altercation had arisen in the slaughter-house 
where the young men were working alone. Gibbons, who was a 
brother-in-law of the proprietor of the establishment, ordered 
Mesnering to do some work. The latter denied Gibbons' authority 
to give orders to him. Words ensued, and Gibbons seeing Mes- 
nering approaching him, grasped a long, keen butcher's knife 
and stabbed the young giant clear through the body below the 
left lung. Then withdrawing the knife he made a lunge at Mes- 
nering and cut a deep gash across his face. Mortally wounded 
as he was Mesnering started to pursue Gibbons. It was as he 
was running after him out of the slaughter house that Sergeant 
Cadwallader saw him. In court Gibbons alleged that he stabbed 
his victim in self-defense. After an exciting trial which lasted 
several days Gibbons was acquitted of the charge of murder. 
He was ably defended by Lawyers Whitney, Gittings and 
Grayson, three of the most prominent criminal lawyers in Mary- 
land at that time. Murders were not infrequent occurrences in 
the northwestern part of the city in those days, but on account of 
the great popularity of Mesnering and his wide reputation as the 
strongest man in the city, his killing caused great excitement. 
Idle crowds assembled for days to gaze into the slaughter house 
where the affray took place. 

Nearly two months after the arrest of Gibbons a colored man 
named Zachariah Barrett, while in Orchard street, shot and 
killed Mrs. Thalka Volke, a white woman. On July 4, Mrs. 
Yolke was sitting on her front stoop with a child on her knee. 
She was the only white woman living in that section at the time. 
Barrett quarreled on the street with another negro and shot at him. 
The ball missed its mark and entered Mrs. Volke's head, killing her 
instantly. Sergeant Cadwallader in company with patrolman 
Seibold arrested Barrett the next day just as he was preparing 



OUR POLICE. 331 

to leave the city. By some legal hitch the jury failed to convict 
the murderer. The next important arrest made by Sergeant 
Cadwallader was in September, 1867. William Foster, a West 
Indian negro, quarreled in Biddle alley with a young negress 
named Emeline Parks. He became incensed at her and chased 
her into her house. Breaking through her bed-room door he 
attacked the woman with an enormous clasp-knife and cut her 
open from the abdomen to the neck. After lying in frightful 
agony for two hours she died. A general search for the mur- 
derer was made. Sergeant Cadwallader soon found a clue, and 
after a short search located him in a group of small buildings 
tenanted by negroes, a little distance from the scene of the crime. 
He searched one place after another until, upon looking through 
a crack in a door in an out-house, he distinguished something 
shining in the darkness. It was the brass cap of the negro's 
knife which Foster still grasped in his hand. Opening the door 
carefully the sergeant thrust his arm inside. The negro made a 
stab at it, but the sergeant was too quick for him. Then the mur- 
derer attempted to dash from the building. At the door, how- 
ever, there was a step which Foster had forgotten and, missing 
it, he tumbled. The sergeant hit him a powerful blow with his 
club on the head and called to him to throw away his knife. 
The negro, half stunned, did as he was commanded and Ser- 
geant Cadwallader arrested him. Foster was tried before Judge 
Gilmor and sentenced to be hanged. Before his execution, how- 
ever, he received a reprieve from Governor Bowie, and his sen- 
tence was finally commuted to imprisonment for life. In No- 
vember, 1867, Sergeant Cadwallader, with the assistance of 
patrolman 'Seibold, arrested George Thomas, Thomas Davadge, 
Nicholas Gross, Samuel Anderson, Oscar Turner, George Brewer, 
William Brown, David Sheridan, Elisha Shorter, and William 
Wilson, all burglars, for entering the houses of Messrs. Farris 
Moore, John Kabernagle, William Whitelock, Conrad Yolke. 
Cornelius Wicks, Wesley Lowery, John M. Miller, William W. 
Orndorff, and John Jacobs, citizens of Baltimore and Balti- 
more County. The burglars were convicted and sent to prison. 
In October of the following year he arrested John Jarboa and 



332 OUR POLICE. 

John Weiss, alias Miller, notorious horse thieves, for stealing 
the horses of Mr. James R. Deakins, of Prince Georges County, 
and of Mr. Henry Welsh, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Weiss 
and Jarboa were both convicted and sent to the Penitentiary for 
five years. In November, 1868, he arrested Hannah D. Myers, 
alias Bowen. She was charged with forging a check on the 
Commercial and Farmers' Bank of Baltimore for §2,400. The 
check was drawn in the name of Messrs. Cox & Brown, com- 
mission merchants. She was convicted and sent to prison for 
four years by Judge Gilmor. 

Early in the winter of 1868-69 the people of the mountains 
in Maryland were horrified at the commission of a cowardly 
murder. Douglass Love, the superintendent of the Central Coal 
Company's mines in Allegheny county, was called to the door of 
his house on Sunday evening, December 6, by a party of men. 
He arose from his supper table in response to the summons and 
walked out upon his front stoop. As soon as he stepped upon it 
he was shot at by a number of men who were in ambush on each 
side of the house. Mr. Love was killed almost instantly. His 
wife hearing the shots rose quickly from the table and ran to 
the door just in time to receive the corpse of her husband in her 
arms. The murdered man was thought very highly of by his 
employers, and he had been considered both by the miners and 
the officers of the company to be the best superintendent who 
ever had charge of a mine in that region. The cause of the 
crime was the discharge by Love of several men for misconduct 
of some sort and his refusal to re-employ them. Sergeant Cad- 
wallader, in company with detectives Pontier and Carroll, were 
sent out by the board of police to investigate the murder, as no 
steps had been taken by the authorities of Allegheny county. 
Thev soon found direct evidence convicting four men of the crime. 
These men were at work in the mines when arrested. They were 
Patrick Maguire, Lawrence Cottle, Patrick Donohue and Patrick 
Lannagan. Although the evidence against the prisoners seemed 
conclusive, they were permitted to be in jail for more than a year 
and then were discharged from custody, the case being " nolle 
prossed" on account of the absence of necessary Avitnesses. Such 



OUR POLICE. 333 

an occurrence could take place at that time, though it would be 
practically impossible now. In 1868 the mountain counties in 
many of the Southern States had not yet been reorganized since 
the war, and their civil condition was almost chaotic. (Maryland 
was an exception to this rule.) 

In August, 1869, Sergeant Cadwallader arrested " Sol " Mat- 
thews, alias Jack Tar, Walter Castle, Marcus Wilson, William 
Dorsey, and Steve Stevenson, for robbing the dwellings of Messrs. 
E. D. Janvier, John G. Hewes, and John W. Childs, Mrs. C. C. 
Appold, Miss Annie Morris, Mrs. Armstrong, Mr. John H. 
Boone, Mr. N. P. Sewell, Mr. James R. Clark, Mr. E. H. Hen- 
nicks, Mrs. E. R. Lusby, and Mr. Leander Warren. The bur- 
glars were all convicted and sent to prison. In the same month 
he also arrested Charles Wilson for the murder of John Pratt, a 
boy, by shooting him in the head near the 'Nine Mile House/ 
Hookstown road. There was no cause whatever for this murderous 
assault. The boy was riding home from a camp meeting when 
Wilson, seized with a drunken freak, drew his revolver and shot 
him. He had never seen the child before. Considerable public 
excitement was caused by this case. Wilson was convicted of 
manslaughter and was sentenced to a long term of imprisonment. 

On Saturday evening, October 30, 1870, Lexington Market 
was crowded with people buying provisions for their Sunday 
dinners. Hucksters and stall-owners were calling their wares 
or contending with many a jest with bartering housewives, when 
two stylishly dressed young negroes, sauntering in opposite direc- 
tions, happened to knock each others' shoulders as they passed. 
Each turned upon the other and the usual braggadocio altercation 
ensued. 

" I'll cut yo' neck in half!" shouted one. 

"I give yer leave," returned the other as he squared off in a 
pugilistic attitude. 

Up to this time the altercation had attracted no particular 
attention from the people in the neighborhood, but cries of horror 
arose as the taller of the two youths, whose name was Edward 
Fullman, whipped out a knife and made a vicious pass at the 
neck of the other, who was afterward learned to be William H. 



334 OUR POLICE. 

Faten. The first cut made a gash extending half way around 
Faten's neck and severing the jugular vein. Not content with 
this the assailant struck again and again in rapid succession 
until he almost fulfilled his threat to cut his victim's neck in half. 
Then the murderer dropped his knife and ran off before the 
bystanders had recovered from their horror sufficiently to make 
an effort to stop him. Faten died in a few seconds. Lieutenant 
Lannan, now deputy marshal, happened to be on the opposite 
sidewalk when the affray took place and he witnessed the whole 
of it. He dashed after the fleeing young murderer and would 
have caught him had not an accident, which proved quite serious 
in its consequences, stopped him. An awning rope was stretched 
tightly across the lieutenant's path. In the darkness he did 
not see it, however, and ran full against it. He was flung 
back and fell on the pavement, breaking his collar bone. Ser- 
geant Cadwallader and Officer Seibold were sent out to capture 
Fullman, whose identity was at that time unknown. A little 
boy was found in the market who said that the negro drove a 
doctor's carriage. Sergeant Cadwallader picked up the murderer's 
hat which he had dropped in his flight, and at once began to in- 
quire among the physicians of the neighborhood for its owner. 
He visited nearly every physician in the northwestern section of 
the city before he reached the office of Doctor Beattie and asked 
him if he recognized the hat. 

"Yes; that belongs to my waiter boy, Edward Fullman," 
replied the physician. He has been gone out a good while, and 
he will probably be in directly." The policeman knew better 
than this, however, and he at once started out with Officer 
Seibold to hunt for the negro among his relatives, of whom he 
had a large number in Baltimore. Finally they found him 
secreted in the house of his aunt, an aged colored woman, in the 
outskirts of the city. The prisoner was tried and found guilty 
of manslaughter. 

Another curious and horrible case into which Sergeant Cad- 
wallader' s duties brought him was the attempted murder of 
Fannie Cole, the keeper of a disorderly house in Josephine 
street, by Frank Battee, a blind man. Battee was well known 




FIRST WESTERN DISTRICT STATION-HOUSE. 



OUR POLICE. 335 

in the western part of Baltimore. He peddled baskets and 
brooms for a livelihood, and seemed to make a very fair living. 
He could make his way anywhere about the district. Sometimes 
he visited Fannie Cole's place, and he could secure admission 
there at any time. On October 29, 1870, he conceived that he 
had been wronged by the woman. He bought a hatchet at a 
hardware store, and concealing it under his coat went to see her. 
She was at supper with a number of other women when he called. 
Suspecting no harm she sent word to him to come into the dining- 
room. He did so, and learning her position at the table from 
her voice, went toward her. As soon as he reached her he 
grasped her around the neck with his left hand, and with his 
right showered powerful blows on the top of her head. The 
hatchet cut through the woman's skull in a number of places, 
and nearly cut one of her hands off. It was supposed that she 
was killed, but she was taken to the hospital, and under skillful 
treatment, in the course of some months almost entirely recovered 
from her wounds. She has never been entirely cured, however. 
She now lives in the eastern part of the city. The blind man 
was convicted of assault with intent to kill, and was sentenced to 
imprisonment in the penitentiary for ten years. He died after 
serving about six years of his sentence. 

Another important arrest made by Mr. Cadwallader, ac- 
companied by Captain Lepson, was that of Jesse Uppercoe, in 
August, 1872. It was shortly after his promotion from sergeant 
to lieutenant. Jesse Uppercoe, a fashionable young man, with 
excellent connections in Baltimore, had charge of the estate of 
his aunt, Mrs. Amelia Wheat, a wealthy old lady who lived at 
No. 662 West Lombard street. Uppercoe was also a law student. 
He got the old lady, who trusted him implicitly, to sign several 
papers which she supposed to be powers of attorney to enable him 
to transact her business for her, but which were really deeds 
assigning blocks of her property to him. He squandered 
large sums of money, and matters were approaching a stage where 
Mrs. Wheat was about to learn of her nephew's perfidy, when 
one morning she was found lying in bed with a bullet in her 
head. Suspicion at once pointed to Uppercoe, and he was 



336 OUR POLICE. 

promptly arrested by Lieutenant Cadwallacler and Captain Daniel 
Lepson. After a trial of three weeks, in which the young man 
was defended with great ability by ex-Judge Ingliss and John P. 
Poe, Esq., the jury failed to agree. At a second trial he was 
acquitted. 

These are but a few of the great number of important arrests 
which Captain Cadwallader has made since his connection with 
the police force. He has always borne the reputation of being 
a model policeman, prudent, intelligent and fearless in the 
prosecution of his duty, while among his associates and the 
citizens he is equally esteemed. In appearance the Captain is a 
man rather above the medium height, with broad shoulders and 
of spare proportions. His countenance is mild and kindly, but 
his bright, quick eye shows him to be a sharp reader of character. 
The following is the staff of the Western district: 
Lieutenant F. Hamilton Scott was born on November 26, 
1854, in this city, and received his education in the public schools 
and at the Baltimore City College. He was appointed a police- 
man on July 6, 1877, and was assigned to the Western district. 
He was recommissioned on July 6, 1881, and was promoted to a 
sergeancy on November 21, 1881. On October 15, 1885, he 
was commissioned as lieutenant. On the night of July 20, 1877, 
during the railway riots, he was badly injured hj being struck 
by a stone thrown by one of the mob, but he served throughout 
the troubles nevertheless. Lieutenant Scott has been the hero of 
many exciting arrests. Among the most important of them was 
the capture of William W. McComas for the murder of Jacob 
Zimmerman, alias Shea. This case was known as "the paint- 
brush murder." McComas had separated from his wife, accusing 
her of too great intimacy with Zimmerman. At about 6 P. M., 
on September 4, 1882, Zimmerman was found lying in a ditch 
near Falls Road, and brought to the Northwestern Station uncon- 
scious. A physician advised his removal to the Maryland Uni- 
versity Hospital, where Dr. Charles W. Mitchell said that the 
man had received an injury to his head. He died in about an 
hour after. Nothing was then known of any quarrel he had with 
McComas, but after an interview with Mrs. McComas, Mr. Scott 



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£ 1. 









[2 



HrH fc£ 



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£ fc 






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OUR POLICE. 841 

concluded to arrest her paramour. Mc Comas admitted having 
struck Zimmerman on the head with a paint-brush for calling 
names. McComas was tried on October 13, 1882, and proving 
a good character, with self-defence, was acquitted. On June 
21, 1883, Lieutenant Scott arrested Charles Durham, a negro, 
for assaulting, beating and attempting to commit a rape upon 
Miss Clara Snyder, of Division street. At about 10 o'clock in 
the evening of June 20 Miss Snyder was returning from a visit 
to her sister, Mrs. Hunter, who had accompanied her part of the 
way home. When in Presstman street, near Division street, 
within sight of her home, having just parted from her sister, Miss 
Snyder was knocked down, beaten and dragged across the street 
to a field, where her assailant attempted to pull her through the 
fence. Her sister, who had witnessed all this from a distance, 
ran screaming toward her, and the negro loosened his hold and 
ran away without accomplishing his purpose. Early next morn- 
ing Lieutenant Scott arrested Durham on a general description, 
and Miss Snyder and her sister identified him as the assailant. 
He was tried on July 12, 1883, and convicted. In the meantime, 
while Durham was awaiting in jail the result of his motion for 
new trial, another assault of the same nature was made on Annie 
King, alias McCleary, on Etting street north of Townsend 
street. She was terribly beaten, and was dragged into an alley, 
where she was found shortly after. After the trial of Durham, 
the actions of James Mitchell, a hod-carrier, who lived then 
in Bolden alley near Baker street, caused Lieutenant Scott 
to notify the officers to watch him closely, and learning that he 
had been away from home when the assault on Annie King occur- 
red Mr. Scott arrested him. He was positively identified by 
Miss King. At the trial, the reputation of Annie King was 
fully discussed, to her detriment, and although Mitchell made a 
very lame defense, the jury disagreed because of the reputation 
of the woman. 

Lieutenant John Joseph Fulletn was born in Dublin, Ire- 
land, on December 25, 1850 ; when he was eight years old 
he was brought to Baltimore and was educated in a private 
school in West Baltimore. From the age of sixteen years to 



342 OUR POLICE. 

the time he was twenty- two years old he traveled through 
Texas and Mexico. When he returned to Baltimore he was 
employed by the Gambrill Manufacturing Company and re- 
mained with that corporation until he was appointed, on August 
22, 1878, a patrolman on the police force. On October 31, 
1882, he was promoted to be a sergeant, and on September 
15, 1886, was made Patrol- Sergeant. On November 11, 1886, 
he was commissioned as Lieutenant. His has been an exception- 
ally active career, including the making of over three hundred 
arrests for every phase of crime. While sergeant he caused the 
first conviction of a Chinaman (Bow Sing) in Baltimore. The 
United States secret service premium was awarded him for the 
conviction of John Williams, counterfeiter. The arrest of 
burglar Grinnidge and a heroic act at the Maldeis fire are on his 
long record of faithful and efficient service. 

Sergeant William Kalbfleisch was born in Baltimore on Au- 
gust 5, 1860. He was made a patrolman on December 6, 1882, 
and was promoted to be sergeant on May 14, 1885. On June 
25, 1885, he was made patrol-sergeant. 

Sergeant John H. Henneman was born on January 13, 1846, 
in this city, and was appointed on the police force on June 8, 
1876. He was promoted to be sergeant on August 10, 1878. 

Sergeant Philip R. Berger was born on August 10, 1841, in 
this city, and during the war served in the Federal navy for two 
years. He was appointed a patrolman on September 3, 1867, 
and was recommissioned on September 3, 1871. On July 18, 
1872, he was promoted to be sergeant. 

Sergeant Benjamin T. Allen was born in this city on April 
2, 1852. He was appointed to the police force on June 17, 
1884, and was promoted to be a sergeant on April 12, 1886. 

Sergeant John H. Clowe was born at Harper's Ferry, Va., 
on October 7, 1843. In April, 1861, he was detailed by the 
Confederate Government to serve at the armory at Harper's 
Ferry, and in June was transferred to the armory at Fayette- 
ville, North Carolina. He was subsequently made a sergeant in 
the Second North Carolina infantry battalion, and was taken 







BENJAMIN F. AULD, 
Captain of the Eastern District. 






OUR POLICE. 345 






prisoner at Avon's Ferry, North Carolina, on April 25, 1865. 
On November 16, 1877, he became a Baltimore policeman, and 
was promoted to his present rank on June 21, 1886. He had 
been offered a position on the detective force but declined it, pre- 
ferring to remain in uniform. 

Sergeant John Driseoll was born in Ireland on March 19, 
1843, and came here when quite young. He was appointed a 
policeman on August 13, 1873, and was promoted to a sergeancy 
on June 21, 1886. On September 4, 1886, he was promoted to 
be patrol-sergeant. 

Sergeant Patrick E. Tierney was bornin Canada on November 
28, 1848, and was appointed to the Baltimore police force as a 
patrolman on February 26, 1880. He was reappointed on Feb- 
ruary 26, 1884, and was promoted to be sergeant on October 14, 
1886. 

Sergeant Edward J. Hoffman was born in this city on March 
10, 1857. He was appinted a patrolman on August 25, 1881, 
and was recommissioned on August 25, 1885. He received his 
commission as sergeant on April 9, 1886. 

Sergeant John Carlos, was born in England on June 6, 1843. 
He joined the United States Navy in 1857 and served for three 
years. He was appointed a patrolman on May 1, 1867, but re- 
signing was reappointed on October 25, 1872. He was promoted 
to be sergeant on January 6, 1870. 

The Eastern District. 

Captain Benjamin F. Auld commands the Eastern district, 
the station of which is at the southeast corner of Bank and Bethel 
streets. Its force includes two lieutenants, nine sergeants, 
one clerk, two turnkeys and seventy-nine patrolmen. The Dis- 
trict is bounded on the north by Baltimore street and extends 
along that thoroughfare to the eastern city limits, thence to the 
river at Canton, then along the water front on the south to Jones's 
Falls on the west; thence along the falls to the south side of Pratt 
street to Central avenue and south side of Baltimore street and 
the place of beginning. The territory which Captain Auld and 
his men have to guard is thus a large one and contains much valu- 
able property. The large stores on Broadway are kept under 



346 OUR POLICE. 

constant guard, as are the planing mills, box factories, lumber 
yards and great warehouses along the river front. In the harbor 
ride the vessels which make the commerce of this city so impor- 
tant. Many of these must be guarded by Captain Auld's com- 
mand lest their sails and rigging be stolen. 

Captain Auld was born in this city on December 27, 1828. 
His father was Hugh Auld, a ship builder who formerly lived 
in Talbot county. Young Auld was educated in the public 
schools and passed through them with credit. When sixteen 
years old, at his own request he was apprenticed to the firm of 
Graham & Spedden, ship-joiners, whose yards were on Philpot 
street. Almost the first duty assigned to the lad was to assist in 
fitting out the brig Kirkwood, commanded and owned by Cap- 
tain Martin. The brig was used for "running" slaves to New 
Orleans. These slaves were shipped principally by Hope H. 
Slatter, who had his slave prison on West Pratt street. The 
negroes were brought down to the ship in omnibuses and put on 
board during the early hours of the morning, leaving the city 
generally before many of the citizens were stirring. Young Auld 
continued with Graham & Spedden for some time longer, and so 
learned his trade. In 1848 the lad was infected by the excite- 
ment which seized all classes of citizens at that time concerning 
the discovery of gold in California. Among the many vessels 
which left this port for the new " El dorado " was the ship Exylon, 
which had been fitted out at Swann's wharf at the foot of Fell 
street. Many of the lad's school friends had secured berths on 
board this ship and Auld determined to accompany them. He 
was confronted by several obstacles in the pursuit of his desire, 
the chief of them being his lack of money to pay for the passage. 
Finally he proposed to the Exylon's commander to. go as car- 
penter of the vessel. But again he was doomed to disappoint- 
ment as one had been already shipped who had sufficient money 
to pay for one-half his passage. There was nothing left for him 
to do but to smile at fate, so he continued with his trade, and 
while it continued to prosper made money. But in 1860 the 
ship building of the country began to decline, and Mr. Auld had 
to search for something else as a means of livelihood. He ap- 



OUR POLICE. 347 

plied for the position of sergeant of police, and in May, 1860, 
lie was appointed to that office by police commissioners Howard, 
Gatchel, Hinks and Davis. Within a short time after his 
appointment Mr. Auld was called upon to do some very impor- 
tant detective work. A number of burglaries had been commit- 
ted in the outskirts of the city. Police marshal Kane selected 
Sergeant Auld as the man to discover the criminals. The bur- 
glars effected entrances into the houses by cutting the window 
slats and forcing the glass. As their methods were similar in 
every instance it seemed certain that one gang was doing all the 
work. Sergeant Auld got information of two suspicious charac- 
ters who had been frequenting disreputable houses on the Cause- 
way, Eastern avenue and Caroline street. He kept these places 
under surveillance. At this point of his work a report was made 
to the police that Mr. Schanehoeffer's house on Butcher's Hill 
(Patterson Park avenue near Fayette street,) had been broken 
into and had been robbed of a large quantity of ladies' dresses, 
jewelry and a purse containing a considerable amount of money. 
Sergeant Auld learned that the men he was after had been 
making presents of jewelry to certain women in the "Hook," 
and in company with patrolman George W. Jones, who was on 
the beat at that time, walked into a dance-hall and captured both 
the " suspects " while they were dancing. Upon being searched 
at the station much of the jewelry and money stolen from Mr. 
Schanehoeffer's house was found. The prisoners, Charles and 
William Button, were convicted and each sentenced to five years 
in the penitentiary. 

It was nearly a year after this that the civil war began and 
the exciting scenes during April, 1861, took place in this city. 
Sergeant Auld served through the riots which succeeded the 
passage of the Northern troops through Baltimore, and he remem- 
bers the events of that time as the most exciting of his life. This 
is his narrative : 

On April 18, 1861, 1 was detailed to command a squad of men at the Bolton 
depot, where about C>00 Pennsylvania volunteers had arrived on their way to 
Washington to defend the capital. When we arrived at the depot 1 found 
Marshal Kane in command of nearly the entire police force. The volunteers 
were formed by their officers and marched through the streets, flanked by a 



348 OUR POLICE. 

strong body of policemen, at the head of which was Marshal Kane. Mount 
Clare station was thus reached without disturbance, and the Pennsylvania 
troops boarded cars and were transported to "Washington. I was then sent 
back to the station-house to take charge of the soldiers who were brought 
thither for protection, as well as of the wounded persons and prisoners whom 
our officers brought in. Until the evening of the nineteenth I did not get a 
wink of sleep. Then I was relieved and went home, but only to be awakened 
again in three or four hours to receive an order from the marshal directing me 
to report at the Central station at midnight with thirty-five reserves. The 
Central station was then at Holliday and Saratoga streets. I hurried to exe- 
cute the order. We remained on duty until 10 o'clock the following morning 
when we were relieved by the return of the men of that district. On the 
following day I was ordered by Marshal Kane to proceed to Locust Point and 
take charge of all the flour stored in the warehouses there, and to allow no 
vessels to leave port except those having a pass from the constituted authority. 
It was very shortly after this that General Dix, commanding the troops stationed 
in this city, caused the arrest of the police commissioners and Marshal Kane 
and imprisoned them in Fort McHenry. The police force was then disbanded 
by order of General Dix, and the city was patrolled by troops. 

In 1867, about the time the police force of this city was re- 
organized, burglars began reaping a harvest in the Eastern district. 
A great quantity of goods was stolen but the thieves left no clue. 
Finally the house of S. Harman, at No. 9 South Carolina street, 
was broken into on November 23, 1868, and much silverware, 
jewelry and money stolen. This robbery was reported directly 
to the district station. Sergeant Auld was chosen by his 
commander to search for the burglars. The men had effected an 
entrance through a basement window and then proceeded to the 
dining room on the next floor, which they ransacked for valuables. 
Before ascending to the bed rooms the burglars saturated a 
sponge with ether and burned it on the stairway, in order to 
stupefy the inmates. When the ruffians believed that the 
anaesthetic had done its work they entered the bed rooms and 
spread handkerchiefs saturated with chloroform over the faces of 
Mr. and Mrs. Harman and then proceeded leisurely to plunder 
the house. After securing all the jewelry in the apartments they 
lifted Mr. Harman's head from his pillow and abstracted from 
beneath the bolster a large amount of money. Then the burglars 
left the house without more ado. Sergeant Auld asked Mr. 
Harman whether there had been any persons visiting his store 



OUR POLICE. 349 

recently of whom he entertained suspicions. Miss Harman 
replied that two colored men had entered the shop the day before 
and that from the coat pocket of one of them hung the corner of 
a handkerchief closely resembling one found in the house after 
the burglary. Auld got a full description of the two " suspects " 
and within half an hour had them locked up in the police station. 
One of them gave his name as John Cooper, a caulker by trade ; 
the other was James Washington, who said he had just come from 
Norfolk, Virginia. When Washington was arrested he wore 
Harman's trousers, and at Cooper's house in Bethel street were 
found most of the articles stolen. Washington carried a long 
knife, fifteen inches in length, which he said he intended to use 
to "cut the Jew's throat," meaning Harman's, if he had 
awakened while they were robbing his house. The men were 
convicted and each sentenced to four years in the penitentiary. 
After these two negroes were captured no burglaries were reported 
in the district for years. Cooper has served several short terms 
since his release for larceny. Washington disappeared after 
leaving prison. 

A farmer of Anne Arundel County, named Charles Linstead, 
was robbed of $1,200 on the night of November 10, 1868. His 
farm was about fifteen miles from this city and he immediately 
posted in and reported his loss to the police. It seems that Mr. 
Linstead had a young man named Charles Steinberg in his employ 
who could not be found after the money had been missed. A 
description of the fugitive was furnished every district in the 
city, and Sergeant Auld and patrolman Edgerton were assigned 
to the case in the Eastern district. Two days after the robbery 
occurred Auld and Edgerton caught Steinberg in a beer saloon 
at Canton, where he had just arrived in a hack from Baltimore 
county. Upon searching him some jewelry belonging to Mr. 
Linstead and a considerable sum of money were found. In a 
secret pocket was found a bill for some women's clothing. The 
latter had been purchased in Eutaw street, and from the inform- 
ation furnished by the storekeeper and from other sources these 
bits of clothing were traced to the possession of a pretty German 
girl living on the Philadelphia road, whom Steinberg had been 



850 OUR POLICE. 

courting. The remainder of the money stolen was gradually 
recovered and Steinberg was committed to the Annapolis jail to 
await the action of the county authorities. He did not remain 
in prison long. He broke jail, made good his escape, and has 
never been heard from since. 

Scarcely more than a month had elapsed when the storekeepers 
along Broadway began complaining of the operations of a sneak 
thief whose method was to help himself, almost every evening, 
to goods displayed in front of their stores. Sergeant Auld kept 
his eyes open as usual. On December 9, just about dusk, a 
man whose appearance and actions were alike suspicious prome- 
naded in front of Jacob Noah's dry -goods store at No. 188 South 
Broadway. When he thought he was unperceived he seized an 
armful of valuable dress-goods in front of the place and ran across 
the street into the Broadway market house. There he was met 
by one of Mr. Noah's clerks who had also been waiting for him. 
The young man grappled with the c; sneak" and cried for help ? 
Sergeant Auld and Patrolman Balster soon relieving him. The 
thief who gave his name as George Mann, alias "Baldy" Mann, 
pleaded guilty and acknowledged that he was a professional 
"sneak." His photograph was put in the rogues' gallery and 
he was sentenced to the penitentiary. Since his release he has 
been frequently arrested for petty thefts. 

Perhaps the most interesting case in which Mr. Auld was per- 
sonally concerned developed in the winter of 1870. Complaints 
were received from all parts of the city that a man, whose descrip- 
tion seemed to be exceedingly difficult to get had been swindling the 
merchants in accordance with what appeared to be a very well- 
defined system. He obtained sums varying from §25 to §75 upon 
bogus bank checks. His mode of operation was to enter a busi- 
ness house, examine some goods about which he professed consid- 
erable knowledge, and order an invoice to be sent to some steam- 
boat or depot for shipment. Then he presented a check in payment 
which always called for more than the amount of the bill. He 
continued his swindling operations for nearly a month and a half 
without detection. Then he called at the butcher stall kept by 
John Foss in the Broadway Market and inquired for a certain grade 



OUR POLICE. 351 

of meat, of which the latter kept a large stock. Mr. Foss sup- 
plied him with what he desired and was promptly swindled out of 
$25. But his victim had taken a good look at the fellow and 
could accurately descrihe him. Sergeant Auld got his descrip- 
tion and started on his quest fully equipped for the search. He 
got a clue which " located" the scamp in Washington, and he dis- 
covered that the man was in the habit of running into the city 
every day or two "working the town" and then going home with 
his plunder. Marshal Gray gave Auld authority to go to Wash- 
ington after his man. Late the next Saturday afternoon Sergeant 
Auld and Patrolman Samuel Boyd arrived at the Capital and 
after considerable hard work discovered that the man was occupying 
lodgings over a grocery store on E street. Auld learned that he 
was living with a woman who passed as his wife, and thus for the 
first time got actual trace of the fellow's movements. The sharper 
was out of town, however, but the sergeant saw the woman and 
looked her over sufficiently to be able to recognize her again. 
The two officers then returned home and for eight days spent their 
time in watching every train which came in from Washington. 
At last their watch was rewarded. While standing near the ticket 
office of the President street station Auld saw the woman approach 
and purchase tickets for Philadelphia. Then she requested a 
gentleman standing near to show her the first car of the 
train. This he did and she chose a forward seat, sitting alone. 
Auld then knew that she expected her companion, and that he 
would probably board the train somewhere between the depot and 
Canton. Boyd stepped on the rear platform of the string of cars, 
and Auld took the other side of the train and awaited the sus- 
pected rogue's arrival. They did not have long to wait. As the 
train was passing Broadway a man swung himself aboard, and 
Auld found him on a forward platform leaning against the iron 
railing with his head bent. The stranger, for such he was to the 
police, was approached by Auld and promptly arrested. When 
taken to the Eastern station he gave the name of August Lydecker. 
The following morning upon the news of his arrest being circulated, 
the station was thronged with Iris victims who identified him as 
the swindler. Tie was convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary, 



352 OUR POLICE. 

but after he had served about one-half his term he was pardoned 
by the Governor, and in a few weeks he was at his old business 
again. He was again arrested and imprisoned for obtaining a 
valuable gold watch from a jewelry store in exchange for one of 
his bogus checks. 

In 1871 Sergeant Auld was appointed to be lieutenant in the 
same district, and after serving; twelve vears and five months was 
promoted to be Captain of the Eastern district police, the vacancy 
being caused by the death of Captain B. F. Kenney who had com- 
manded for more than sixteen years. 

It was while Mr. Auld was lieutenant in the Eastern district 
that the memorable riot of 1877 occurred. He was in charge of 
the station and was unable to leave his post to go to his meals 
from Friday evening, July 21, to the following Monday. The 
entire force of the district with the exception of Lieutenant 
Auld, one turnkey and two reserve men were on outside duty 
among the rioters, and with this insignificant force he was com- 
pelled to care for the property of the department. During Fri- 
day night and Saturday morning things went along very smoothly, 
but on Saturday night the mob entered the limits of the Eastern 
district and set fire to the lumber piles in the yard of William 
D. Gill, in Lancaster street near East Falls avenue. The fire- 
men extinguished the flames without police assistance and so that 
danger was past. But it was feared that the mob would return 
and seek to destroy more of the lumber. Mr. Gill asked Lieu- 
tenant Auld for help and the latter sent a trustworthy man to 
the yard to guard the threatened property. At about midnight 
some citizens rushed into the station and reported that the mob 
was murdering one of the Eastern district men on the causeway. 
Lieutenant Auld replied : 

" Were you good citizens you would have remained and assisted 
the officer rather than come here." 

They were abashed at this and one of the crowd said that he 
would return and fight for order. The lieutenant furnished him 
with a night-stick, and in company with the aged turnkey, David 
Nicol, started for the scene of the disturbance. As soon as the 
mob saw them coming, one of them being a uniformed officer, it dis- 



OUR POLICE. 357 

persed, the cowards probably believing that a large force of policemen 
was at hand. The policeman who was attacked was not so badly 
hurt as was expected he would be. He was taken to the station 
and there his bruises were dressed. At about one o'clock the 
same night the lieutenant received a dispatch from the marshal, 
calling for the jail wagon. Patrolman Connolly drove it to the 
place indicated and was occupied all night in carrying arrested 
rioters to the jail. At about daylight the rioters returned to the 
Eastern district and set fire to Maughlin's saw and planing mills 
at East Falls avenue and Stiles street. The mills were totally 
destroyed, together with a large quantity of valuable lumber. 
By ten o'clock the backbone of the riot was broken, and on Mon- 
day morning Lieutenant Auld was released from his long watch, 
during which he had no sleep and very little food. 

Following is the stafF of the Eastern district : 

Lieutenant William R. Johnson was born on March 24, 1835, 
at the northwest corner of Camden and Hanover streets, in this 
city. He was appointed a policeman on May 7, 1860, but left 
the force on June 13, 186.1. He was reappointed a policeman 
on April 25, 1867, and made acting sergeant on April 20, 1870. 
He received his commission as sergeant on June 1, 1870, and 
was recommissioned on June 1, 1874. He received his commis- 
sion as lieutenant on April 25, 1875, and was reappointed on 
April '28, 1S79, April 27, 1883 and April 27, 1887. Among 
Lieutenant Johnson's notable captures was that of Benjamin 
Spandauer, one of the most notorious confidence men in the coun- 
try, charged with swindling John Rappold out of a small sum of 
money. Spandauer was afterwards several times an inmate of the 
State Penitentiary. This arrest was on October 24, 1874. Two 
months later Lieutenant Johnson had occasion to re-arrest Span- 
dauer for attempting to rape Barbara Messersmith. On April 
12, 1875, Lieutenant Johnson arrested James Darraugh for the 
murder of his wife Catharine. On August 11, 1877, he ar- 
rested William A. Miller and Jacob W. Smith, both colored, 
charged with the murder of Henry Gerhard, by stabbing him 
through the heart with a long dirk- knife. The prisoners were 
convicted of murder in the second degree. Miller received a sen- 



358 OUR POLICE. 

tence of fifteen years in the Maryland penitentiary, and Smith one 
of three years. Mr. Johnson is considered one of the most acute 
policemen in the department. 

Lieutenant George League was born in this city on December 
25, 1843, and was appointed a policeman on March 23, 1870. 
On April 26, 1876, he was promoted to be sergeant. He was 
reappointed sergeant on April 26, 1880, and was commissioned 
as a lieutenant on October 6, 1883. Among the cases in which 
Lieutenant League was interested was the capture of three 
notorious negro thieves, named Thomas Scott, George Bell, and 
Alfred Pitts, on May 24, 1876. They had robbed the ship 
chandlery store of E. Bailey & Co., at Nos. 105 and 107 
Thames street, of a large quantity of goods. As they were 
leaving the shop Mr. League's attention was attracted by the 
sound of rapid footsteps. He hastened to the water front, but 
found no one, and he then rapped for assistance. The police- 
men searched the boats about the wharf at the foot of Thames 
street, and found Scott and Bell concealed in the hold of a 
scow. There, after a desperate struggle the two negroes were 
arrested. Pitts made his escape for a time, but League sub- 
sequently arrested him. Scott was sentenced to the peniten- 
tiary, Bell becoming a witness for the State, and Pitts proving 
an alibi. On January 1, 1880, he assisted in the arrest of 
Michael McCarty, charged with the murder of John Allen. 
The crime was committed on board the British bark John Pat- 
terson, lying at Jackson's wharf, at the foot of Bond street. 
McCarty murdered Allen with a large iron rake, the murderer 
striking him in the head and crushing his skull. Allen was 
cook on the bark and McCarty was a seaman. The difficulty 
arose between the two over McCarty's breakfast. About May 
16, 1883, Sergeant League received a description through the 
Marshal's office, of four men who had broken out of Towson 
jail, among whom was William H. Beck, charged with bigamy. 
He received information that Beck was concealed in a house at 
"No. 63 Gough street. He proceeded to the house in company 
with officers Henry Lauer and TVilliam H. Connolly. On going 
up stairs he saw Beck run from a back room into a front one on 




2 < — 

« < s 




OUR POLICE. 359 

the second floor. Beck locked the door before League could 
reach it. When officer Connolly arrived League stationed him 
on the sidewalk, and again went up stairs and broke open the 
door. As he did so he heard a pistol shot, and remarked to 
officer Lauer that the man was shooting at them. He drew his 
pistol and then entered. To the sergeant's surprise the prisoner 
pointed his pistol at his own head and shot himself, dying in 
about five minutes. 

Sergeant Michael F. Black was born in this city on June 29, 
1856, and was appointed a policeman on April 15, 1882. He 
was promoted to a sergeancy by the present police commissioners 
on April 9, 1886. 

Sergeant Edward Schleigh was born on March 6, 1849, in this 
city, and was made a policeman on July 1, 1874. He resigned 
in March, 1880, and was reappointed on February 10, 1881. 
He was promoted to be sergeant on April 9, 1886. 

Sergeant J. Andrew Boycroft was born in this city on June 
28, 1844, and served through the war in the Union navy. He 
was a prisoner at Andersonville. He was appointed to the police 
force on October 26, 1871, and was reappointed on October 26, 
1875. He received his commission as sergeant on August 14, 
1878. 

Sergeant Francis "W. Jones was born on April 20, 1833, and 
was appointed a policeman on May 7, 1867. He was reappointed 
on May 1, 1871, and was given a sergeant's warrant on April 
28, 1875. He resigned while sergeant, and on July 18, 1878, he 
was reappointed a policeman. In 1882 he was recommissioned, 
and on October 6, 1883, he was again made a sergeant. Sergeant 
Jones has served twenty years and one month in the department. 

Sergeant Daniel E. Diggs was born on October 26, 1834, in 
Baltimore county, and was appointed to the police force on April 
25, 1867. He was promoted to a sergeancy on October 10, 1867, 
and has been recommissioned twice. 

Sergeant Thomas E. Buckless was born in Baltimore on March 
27, 1849, and was appointed a policeman on August 20, 1872. 
He served as a patrolman until October 16, 1876, when he was 
promoted to a sergeancy. 



360 OUR POLICE. 

Sergeant Thomas T. Green was born here on October 23, 1851, 
and received his appointment as a policeman on June 5, 1875. 
He was promoted to a sergeancy on September 19, 1881, and was 
promoted to be a "Round Sergeant" on September 15, 1886. 

Sergeant Henry Poole was born in Baltimore on August 9, 
1835, and secured an appointment on the force on May 7, 1867. 
He was promoted to be sergeant on November 23, 1877. 

Sergeant James K. P. Langley was born here on August 14, 
1850. He was appointed a policeman on September 8, 1876, 
and on March 24, 1884, was promoted to the position of sergeant. 



The clerk at the Eastern district police station, Mr. Alexander 
Barber, was born in this city on November 21, 1856. He worked 
at the can-making trade until April 13, 1886, when he received 
his appointment as clerk. 



The clerk of the Western district station-house is Mr. Edward 
R. Welch. He was born at Valparaiso, in South America, on 
board the bark " Saxon," of which his father was captain. Being 
brought to Baltimore when he was six months old, this city has 
been his home ever since. He was employed for several years 
as conductor on the horse cars of Baltimore City Passenger Rail- 
road Company for six years previously to April 9, 1886, the date 
of his appointment as clerk in the Southwestern district. 



The clerk of the Central district station is Mr. Edward S. 
Dubois. He was born at Annapolis, in this State, on February 
3, 1838. On June 3, 1872, he was appointed deputy keeper in 
the Maryland Penitentiary, where he served until April 1, 1882. 
Then he resigned to become a clerk in the City Commissioner's 
office. When, in pursuance to the Act of the Legislature, the 
police stations were provided with civilian clerks on April 9, 
1886, he was appointed to the Central district. 



OUR POLICE. 361 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Commanders of Districts {Concluded). 

CAPTAIN CLAIBORNE OF THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT. — NAILING THE 
FLAG TO FORT SUMPTER's STAFF. — A RECORD TO BE PROUD 
OF. — CAPTAIN EARHART OF THE NORTHWESTERN DISTRICT. — 
DRIVING OUT THE "GANGS." — HARRY GILMOR'S SPURS. — 
STRONGEST MAN ON THE FORCE. — CAPTAIN BAKER OF THE 
SOUTH-WESTERN DISTRICT. — A DASTARDLY CRIME. — THE MUR- 
DER OF EMELINE MILLER. — CAPTURING BOARDING HOUSE 
THIEVES. — CAPTAIN BARBER OF THE NORTH-EASTERN DIS- 
TRICT. — HIS CARE FOR PRISONERS. — A ROBBER'S SHREWDNESS. 
— STEALING TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND SHOESTRINGS. 

Some years ago one of the pictorial newspapers published 
as a supplement, a large wood engraving representing a young 
man wearing the uniform of a Confederate lieutenant, climbing a 
flag- pole which had been shot away at the top, and nailing to the 
part of the staff which was still upright, the flag of the Southern 
States. In the distance a battery and a number of ships of war 
were showering shot and shell against the fort which was in the 
foreground, and on the ramparts of which rose the broken flag- 
staff. The scene depicted was no fanciful one, for the incident 
actually occurred during the bombardment by the Federal gun- 
boats and the Morris Island batteries of Fort Sumpter, in October, 
1862. The hero of the thrilling episode was Lieutenant Charles 
II. Claiborne, of the 1st South Carolina Infantry Regiment, 
Company G, a Baltimorean, and now Captain of the Southern 
Police district in the City of Baltimore. The Charleston 
Courier of a few days later printed an account of the incident 
under the head line "A Brave Deed" in which it said : " One 
of the most heroic acts of bravery connected with the bombard- 
ment of Fort Sumpter occurred on Monday last, * * * The 
second shell fired by the enemy on that day at half past one F. M. 



362 OUR POLICE. 

carried off the flag-staff, but before the flag had touched the 
ground, it was seized by Lieutenant C. H. Claiborne, who rushed 
with it to the parapet through the smoke of the bursting shells, 
and before the enemy could discover the effect of their shot, its 
defiant cross was again flaunting in the air. 

" The brave lieutenant was immediately followed to the parapet 
by Messrs. M. F. Devereaux and Bannon, of the Engineer De- 
partment, who, during the considerable space of time occupied 
in readjusting the staff, afforded a most conspicuous target. Too 
cowardly to appreciate, and too mean to honor a gallant act in a 
foe, the Yankees at once poured into the gallant trio a cross and 
rapid fire, but they coolly finished their work, saluted the enemy 
with a cheer and a wave of their hats, and left their perilous post 
without haste, and, thank God, without scathe." 

When they descended from the parapet the young officers 
found a squad of men preparing to go after them with stretchers. 
The intrepid lieutenant was complimented by Jefferson Davis, 
through general orders, for his bravery. The engraving which 
depicted Lieutenant Claiborne's gallant act still hangs framed in 
many southern homes and public places, though few know the 
identity of the chief actor or his present whereabouts. Previously 
to the breaking out of the war all the scenes in Captain Clai- 
borne's life were laid in Baltimore. He was born in this city 
on July 21, 1841. His parents both died while he was very 
young, and he was brought up under the care of his aunt. At 
first he attended the public schools of Baltimore, and when he 
had finished with these he went to the then well known boarding 
academy of old Dr. Emerson Lamb, at Philapolis, Baltimore 
County. When the war broke out Captain Claiborne was a 
youth of twenty. His sympathy with the southern cause was 
intense, and when, shortly after the election of Mr. Lincoln to 
the presidency, in 1860, a military company of southern sympa- 
thizers was formed in Baltimore, he became at once one of its 
most active members. The company styled itself the " Southern 
Volunteers." It rapidly grew to the proportions of a regiment 
and drilled several times a week in military tactics. In Decem- 
ber, 1860, Mr. Claiborne, with two other members of the regi- 



if 







CHARLES H. CLAIBORNE, 
Captain of the Southern District. 



OUR POLICE. 365 

ment, had a " Palmetto flag" painted, and a meeting of the 
volunteers was called for the evening of the fifteenth of December, 
at the Liberty engine house, to attend the ceremonies of throw- 
ing the flag to the breeze. On the morning of that day Clai- 
borne and his two friends, Luther Price and Rodney Brooks, 
well known young men in Baltimore, went up to the engine 
house to prepare for the evening's meeting. It was their inten- 
tion to fly their Palmetto flag on the same pole with the Union 
flag, but finding the flag-staff too short for both, they hauled 
down the Federal ensign and raised the Palmetto flag. Their 
thoughtless work was watched from below by an ever-increasing 
throng of excited people, the majority of whom were Unionists. 
When it was finished the young men found that it would be 
dangerous for them to leave the building. The crowd without 
was growing more and more enraged, and a number of men below 
were endeavoring to break through the locked doors of the engine 
house. Angry shouts and threats of lynching from the multi- 
tude were distinctly audible. Luckily, Marshal Kane with a 
corps of policemen arrived on the scene a few minutes later, and 
surrounding the house, protected it from the assaults of the mob. 
It was almost nightfall before the police succeeded in dispersing 
the angry people sufficiently to enable the three young men to 
make their exit from their temporary prison in safety. In the 
evening, when the meeting was to be held, another great mob 
gathered around the engine house. Fearing that the property 
would be injured, the captain of the engine company, Mr. Joshua 
Van Zandt, refused to let the meeting take place there. An ineffec- 
tual effort was made to get the use of Maryland Institute Hall, 
and then the volunteers determined to hold their meeting in the 
open square, which they did, the speakers' voices being for the 
most part drowned by the groans and howls of the anti-seces- 
sionist part of the crowd. 

After this incident Baltimore became so unpleasant a place for 
Mr. Claiborne that he welcomed the visit of Captain Haskell, 
from South Carolina, a recruiting officer for the Confederate 
army, and at once enlisted with him in the Confederate service, 
joining the First South Carolina Regiment for one year. The 



366 OUR POLICE. 

colonel of the regiment was a brother of M. C. Butler, at present 
one of the representatives from South Carolina in the United 
States Senate. Nearly half of Colonel Butler's regiment was 
composed of Baltimoreans. It was stationed at Fort Sumpter, 
protecting the city of Charleston. Before the close of his first 
year of service Mr. Claiborne was promoted for bravery to the 
rank of sergeant. His term of enlistment expiring on March 3, 
he withdrew from Colonel Butler's regiment, and looking for 
more active servic, joined the Baltimore Light Infantry Regi- 
ment at Richmond, then a part~of the Army of Northern Virginia, 
commanded by General Ewell, and Stonewall Jackson. He 
participated in the valley campaigns, taking part in the fights at 
Cross Keys, Harrisonburg, Stratsburg, Luray, Winchester, the 
Seven Days' battle in front of Richmond, and the battles of 
Mannassas (second), Thoroughfare Gap, Harper's Ferry, and 
Antetam. Then being wounded in the knee he was prostrated 
for some weeks, after which he went to Charleston and rejoined 
the First South Carolina Infantry. In recognition of his gallant 
services in the great campaign with the Army of Northern Vir- 
ginia, Sergeant Claiborne was promoted to a lieutenancy, and 
it was in this rank that he rejoined his old regiment in Fort 
Sumpter. 

The incident related in the beginning of this sketch took place 
during Lieutenant Claiborne's second term of service in Colonel 
Butler's regiment. After the Union forces captured Fort 
Sumpter and the Confederates were forced to evacuate, Lieutenant 
Claiborne's regiment joined the western army under Generals 
Hood and Joe. Johnson in North Carolina, and took part in the 
battles of Aversborough and Bentonsville. When at Greens- 
borough the intelligence reached the soldiers that General Johnson 
was making terms to surrender to General Sherman. The day 
before the surrender took place, a large number of the soldiers 
left the army. Among them was Lieutenant Claiborne. He 
made his way to Spartanburg County, South Carolina, where he 
secured an engagement as a school-teacher. He continued teach- 
in^ school there until the autumn of 1867, when he returned to 
Baltimore and found a position in the iron-foundry of his uncle, 




'."- 



'•"-. 





WM. H. CASSELL. 




GEO. W. AARON. 



DANIEL LEPS 



our tolice. 360 

Mr. B. S. Benson. He brought with him his wife, whom he 
married while he was teaching school. 

On December 21, 1868, Lieutenant Claiborne was appointed 
on the police force as a patrolman, and was assigned to duty in 
the old Western district under Captain Zimmerman. On April 
8, 1874, he was promoted to be sergeant and was detailed to the 
then new Northwestern district. After serving in that district 
for a few months he was transferred back to the Western district, 
and on October 17 following he was appointed a lieutenant. He 
held this position until December 9, 1886, when Captain 
Delanty of the Southern district having been retired, Lieutenant 
Claiborne was promoted to take his place. 

Captain Claiborne's district covers the large and densely popu- 
lated section of the city south of Pratt street and east of Scott 
street. It is bounded on the east and the south by the water 
lines of the harbor and the Patapsco river. The greater part of 
the inhabitants of the district are negroes. In the small-pox 
epidemic of 1882 this section suffered more than any other. 
There are hundreds of great factories and packing houses there, 
as well as a large number of public buildings of various characters. 
Among the latter are Fort McHenry, the Camden station, the 
grain elevator of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Hanover 
street and Cross street markets, St. Joseph's Academy, twelve 
public schools, and the piers of the Allan, the North German 
Lloyd and other ocean steamship lines. The station is built on 
the tongue of land between Hughes, Montgomery, and Sharp 
streets. The Southern district is so large that it has often been 
thought desirable to divide it into two parts, and it is probable 
that this will be done before long. Some points in it are more 
than two miles from the station. Captain Claiborne's command 
consists of 117 men all told, exclusive of himself. Of these, 
ninety-nine are patrolmen, thirteen are sergeants, two are lieu- 
tenants, two are turnkeys, and one is the station-house clerk. 

FolloAving is the staff of the Southern district : 

Lieutenant Calvin Sunstrom was born in Baltimore on 
July 11, 1841. He was appointed patrolman on May 3, 
1870 ; on July 8, 1870 was promoted to be sergeant, and on 



370 OUR POLICE. 

November 25, 1886, was made lieutenant. He participated in 
the defence of the Camden station during the riots of 1877, and 
was struck on the shoulder by a brick thrown by one of the 
rioters. The man was caught and punished. Lieutenant Sun- 
strom's injuries did not prove to be severe. On October 8, 1879, 
he arrested Charles Pitts for killing Charles Wilson by stabbing 
him while in Warner street. On December 29, 1881, he arrested 
George Moran for shooting Peter McLaughlin. Moran was sent 
to the Penitentiary for three years. 

Lieutenant David H. Bruchey was born on April 4, 1841, in 
Frederick City, Maryland. He served in the Union army 
throughout the war, enlisting in this city on May 15, 1861, and 
retiring with a certificate of honorable discharge on May 18, 
1864, during which service he received one promotion, being 
made corporal on November 12, 1863. He received his commis- 
sion as a policeman on November 7, 1869, was promoted to be 
sergeant on June 8, 1876, and to be lieutenant on June 17, 1884. 
About a year after his appointment to the force Lieutenant 
Bruchey arrested Charles Grimage, alias Burgess, a desperate 
colored burglar charged with many crimes. Grimage was sent 
to prison for fifteen years. The lieutenant's case-book shows a 
most active and successful service in apprehending criminals. 

Sergeant George Dull was appointed to the police force as 
a private on April 25, 1867. He was promoted to be sergeant 
on April 24, 1871. Mr. Dull is a native of Germany, having 
been born in that empire on June 6, 1834. 

Sergeant Edward Schultz was born in Frederick, Mary- 
land, on New Year's day, 1852. He was appointed on August 
17, 1880, to the police force of this city, and was promoted on 
November 25, 1886, to be sergeant. 

Sergeant Henry Streib was born in this city on September 
30, 1845. He enlisted in the Union army on November 7, 1861, 
for three years or during the war, and was honorably discharged 
on the last day of 1863. He immediately re-enlisted as a veteran 
volunteer and remained in the service until September 1, 1865, 
when he was again honorably discharged. He was appointed to 



OUR POLICE. 375 

the Baltimore police force on June 7, 1876, and was commissioned 
as sergeant July 17, 1884. 

Sergeant John A. Parks has been a member of the police 
force since May 1, 1867, and he has been a sergeant since June 
1, 1870. He was born in this city on October 1, 1832. He has 
made many important arrests since his connection with the force, 
the most recent one of note being the capture of John Burke, 
who killed John J. Curran with a coupling pin on October 17, 
1886. Burke was convicted of murder in the second degree and 
is now serving a sentence of eighteen years in the State Peniten- 
tiary. 

Sergeant Peter Riley was born in New York City on 
April 21, 1845. He served in the United States navy during 
the late war and was discharged from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, 
August 28, 1865. On June 4, 1870, he was appointed to the 
police force in this city. He received his sergeant's commission 
on April 9, 1886. 

Sergeant Bernard J. Ward is a Baltimorean. He was born 
here on October 11, 1858. His connection with the police force 
dates from his appointment as patrolman on June 20, 1883. He 
was promoted to be sergeant in less than two years, re- 
ceiving his commission on April 29, 1885. 

Sergeant A. C. Blackiston is a native of Port Deposit in this 
State, where he was born on February 16, 1845. He was 
appointed a policeman on April 25, 1867, and was promoted to 
be sergeant on March 17, 1875. He did valuable service during 
the riots of 1877 in driving back the mob from the Lee street 
depot of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He is said to have 
fired the first shot fired by the police during the riots. 

Sergeant William C. Bayne was born in Ireland on June 8> 
1845. He served in the Union army during the civil war as a 
member of Co. K, of the First Maryland Infantry, the "Potomac 
Home Brigade." On May 22 he was promoted to be sergeant. 
He was appointed a member of the Baltimore police force on 
March 18, 1875, and was raised to his present position on July 
17, 1884. 



376 OUR POLICE. 

Sergeant W. H. Bowen is a native of Kent County, Maryland. 
He was born in 1834. On April 27, 1867, he was appointed a 
policeman, and a sergeant during November, 1867. His beat as 
patrolman was principally along the river front, and during his 
service he has saved five persons, three white and two colored, 
from drowning. 

Sergeant Louis Chaillou was born in this city on December 31, 
1851. He was appointed to the police force on April 10, 1882, 
and was made a sergeant on April 9, 1886. 

Sergeant Thomas McGee is an Englishman by birth. He was 
born on December 23, 1851, in Manchester, England. He became 
a policeman on February 18, 1878, and was promoted to his present 
rank on January 6,1887. On May 22, 1885,he arrested Frank Burk- 
man and Frank Hissey for murdering Captain Nelson and the mate 
of the sloop Fannie Southerd, at Machodac Creek, Northumberland 
County, Virginia. Burkman, after five trials, was convicted of 
murder in the second degree, and he was sentenced to thirty-six 
years in the penitentiary. 

Sergeant Philip Flood was born in this city on November 7, 
1855. He was appointed to the police force on November 11, 
1 882, and on April 9, 1886, was commissioned as sergeant. 

Sergeant Joseph D. Collins was born in Baltimore in 1846. 
He was appointed a policeman on July 30, 1868, and was pro- 
moted to be sergeant on July 29, 1876. By a prompt and gal- 
lant act he saved the life of Mrs. Joseph Blackaby, of No. "6 
Henrietta street, who was almost suffocated by smoke from a fire 
that took place in the room m which she was sleeping. 

Mr. Charles F. Norris, who was appointed clerk of the Southern 
police station, April 9, 1887, was formerly a school teacher. He 
is a native of Maryland, having been born in Saint Mary's 
County on November 7, 1856. 

Northwestern District. 

The chief of the police force of the Northwestern district is 
Captain George W. Earhart. The boundaries of his precinct 
extend from Franklin street, between Park avenue and the city 



'**!! 



11 




GEOKGE W. EARHAET, 
Captain of the Northwestern District. 



OUR POLICE. 379 

limits to Boundary avenue, between Cathedral street and the 
city limits, the connecting lines being Park avenue to Howard 
street, through Howard street to Cathedral street to Boundary 
avenue on the east, and the city limits on the west. This large 
territory includes all of that new and beautiful section of the 
city recently built-up with handsome residences and known as 
North Baltimore. It covers more valuable dwelling property 
than all the other police districts in Baltimore combined. The 
station-house is a large brick building in Pennsylvania avenue, 
near Lanvale street. The progress of this section of the city 
has been phenomenally rapid, and no small part of its present 
value is due to the efficiency of the police in ridding it of the 
dangerous characters who formerly frequented it. In 1874, when 
the district was first created, it having previously been a part of 
the pld Western district, for some time it was one of the most 
dangerous parts of Baltimore. Within its limits thrived dozens 
of gangs of vicious boys and hardened young men who were 
organized into what they called "clubs" and " coteries," and 
were a constant terror to honest persons and a menace to solitary 
police officers. Some of the gangs were believed to be the most 
ruffianly to be found anywhere in the world. They hesitated at 
no crime. Many policemen's lives were sacrificed in the war 
waged between these young roughs and the authorities. 

The police of the Northwestern district have under their 
protection a larger number of wealthy and well-to-do homes than 
are to be found in all the rest of Baltimore. Among the well- 
known public institutions in the precinct are the Johns Hopkins' 
University and the Baltimore Academy of Music. In summer 
more than 900 private houses, belonging as a rule to the 
wealthiest citizens of Baltimore, are left in Captain Earhart's 
charge while their occupants are absent in the country. There 
have been numberless attempts to break into these vacant houses, 
but so closely are they watched that comparatively few actual 
burglaries have taken place, and in these instances the thieves 
have usually been apprehended and punished. 

Captain Earhart has commanded the Northwestern district 
since October 19, 1874. Though one of the youngest in years 



380 OUR POLICE. 

of the police captains he is the senior in his rank, having held 
his commission nearly ten years longer than any other captain 
on the force. Although belonging to an old and well-known 
Virginia family Captain Earhart was himself neither born nor 
brought up in that State. The records show his birth to have 
occurred in Washington, on September 30, 1840. His parents 
removed to Baltimore when he was but four weeks old and took 
up their residence close to the present site of the Northwestern 
police station, and ever since that time Captain Earhart 's home 
has been in the City of Baltimore and within the boundaries of 
his present precinct. After attending various schools in this 
city until he was thirteen years old he entered the old Newton 
University which flourished in Baltimore before the war, but 
which is now long since defunct, and was graduated with the 
class of 1857. After this he traveled about the country for 
about a year with his father, who was a well-to-do gentleman. 
Upon returning to Baltimore he entered the office of a prominent 
ante helium law firm and busied himself for two years reading 
law. He never applied for admission to the bar, however, but 
began taking a course of lectures in medicine. The breaking 
out of the war put an end to his professional studies. Like so 
many other young men of Baltimore he felt deeply on the ques- 
tion of constitutional States' rights, and when a call for soldiers 
was made by the Confederate States he pushed at once to the 
front. 

Upon his return to Baltimore he engaged in various pursuits 
until September 8, 1868, when he was appointed a patrolman in 
the police force and was assigned to service in the old Western dis- 
trict, which at that time included all of the present Northwestern 
and Western districts. After eighteen months of service as a 
patrolman, an opportunity opened and he was raised to the rank 
of sergeant with night duty. Two months later he was assigned 
to day duty. 

It was while day sergeant in the old Western district that 
Mr. Earhart earned many compliments by his clever capture of 
a well-known negro burglar named Harris, who in company with 
another negro named Adams, alias Sorrel, and some other thieves 



OUR POLICE. 381 

had succeeded in committing a large number of heavy burglaries 
in various parts of Baltimore. The police first captured Adams 
and made a raid upon a noted " fence " named Lehr, at Nos. 401 
and 403 West Pratt street. In Lehr's establishment, more than 
$10,000 worth of furniture, silverware, etc., results of the recent 
burglaries was found stored, and several members of the gang of 
thieves were caught. The ringleader Harris escaped from the 
city. Efforts were at once made to recapture him. The case 
was placed in the hands of Sergeant Earhart, who, aided by 
patrolman Kidd spent several weeks in tracing up the fugitive. 
From information received during the indefatigable search Ser- 
geant Earhart learned that Harris was in Washington, and he 
went thither for the purpose of arresting him. It was some time 
before the policeman first crossed the burglar's trail. Then he 
followed up his clues carefully from one place to another until 
he finally came upon his man in Capital Square and arrested 
him. Harris was convicted and is still doing time. Among the 
burglaries the gang committed was one at the house of Mr. P. 
M. L. Rasin, No. 223 North Eutaw street, and one at the house 
of Mr. J. Pancoast, No. 231 North Eutaw street. For this 
capture Sergeant Earhart received honorable editorial comment 
in the press of Baltimore and the congratulations of the Board 
of Police Commissioners. 

Captain Earhart took a prominent part in suppressing the riots 
of 1877. He is the only captain now in the department who 
was in command of policemen during those trying days and 
nights. 

In the early part of 1874, in order to meet the necessities of 
the rapidly growing population in that part of the city the old 
Western district was reapportioned and divided, one part being 
still called the Western district and the other named the North- 
western. The present Deputy-Marshal of Baltimore, John Lan- 
nan, was at that time a Lieutenant in the Western district. He 
was appointed to the captaincy of the newly created district, and 
Sergeant Earhart was promoted to become one of his lieutenants. 
Mr. Earhart's commission as lieutenant was dated April 9, 
1874. Six months had scarcely passed away when Captain 



382 OUR POLICE. 

Lannan was transferred to the Central Station to succeed Cap- 
tain Mitchell. The Board of Police Commissioners selected 
Lieutenant Earhart to take the vacant place, and accordingly on 
October 19, 1874, he received his commission, having reached 
this rank in six years after his appointment as patrolman. Since 
1874 Captain Earhart has been recommissioned four times, which 
makes him as stated above, by nearly ten years the senior captain 
of the Baltimore Police Department. 

Captain Earhart was the life-long friend and intimate of the 
gallant Colonel Harry Gilmor, whose book, ' ; Four Years in 
the Saddle," made for him a place in literature as well as securing 
to him lasting fame as a brilliant soldier. Shortly after the death 
of Colonel Gilmor, Captain Earhart received from the family of 
the late soldier the spurs of his former friend and companion, 
and a letter accompanying them from Mr. Charles Gilmor of 
this city, the dead man's brother, in which the former said: 
" I send you with this letter your dear friend Harry's spurs as 
a memento of him. I know you will appreciate them, for he 
loved you and often spoke of you in his last illness. It affords 
me especial pleasure to be the medium through which you will 
receive this token of the friendship of your dear friend." Cap- 
tain Earhart preserves the spurs at his home with many fond 
memories. They are of Mexican workmanship, of heavy polished 
brass with large steel rowels. Colonel Gilmor wore them through 
his southern career. The monument erected to the dead cavalry- 
man by the ex-Confederate soldiers and the police force of Balti- 
more is largely an outcome of the efforts of Captain Earhart. 

The Northwestern district ever since it has been cleared of 
the rough element that formerly frequented it has been a most 
uncongenial locality for thieves and other criminals. It is kept 
as free as possible from disorderly places of resort, low liquor 
shops and other places where the vicious are wont to congregate. 
Of recent years there have been very few occasions for arrests of 
a sensational character. In a number of cases, however, acts of 
bravery on the part of the police in saving endangered lives are 
remembered with gratitude by the people, as is evidenced by the 
following letter, one among manv testimonials received at differ- 



OUR POLICE. 388 

ent times. This letter was sent to Captain Earhart by the Board 
of Police Commissioners, and explains itself: 

Police Department, Office of the Marshal, 

Baltimore, June 5, 1878. 
Captain Earhart : 

Sir : — The Board of Police Commissioners have learned with pride of the 
heroic conduct displayed yesterday by Lieut. W. McK. Watkins and officer 
James S. McFarland, of your district, at the scene of the lamentable disaster 
occasioned by the falling of a three-story dwelling-house on Fremont street, 
near Lanvale. Captain Earhart commends in the strongest terms the bravery 
exhibited by these two officers, who, at the imminent risk of their lives, ex- 
tricated the unfortunate workmen buried in the debris of the fallen building. 
Conduct of this character cannot be too fully recognized and applauded. It 
shows the best evidence of thorough efficiency and readiness in any and every 
emergency. These officers especially, and others under the command of Cap- 
tain Earhart, who arrived at a later period, have the thanks of the Board of 
Commissioners for their prompt and energetic behavior. 

Very respectfully, 

Marriott Boswell, Clerk. 
J. T. Gray, Marshal. 

Captain Earhart is a great believer in the superior efficiency 
of well-drilled policemen ; and one of the features of his com- 
mand is its skill and precision in all the branches of police dis- 
cipline. At roll-call, night and morning, the men march into 
the reviewing-room like a squad of well-trained soldiers. After 
the roll-call and the inspection the men march off to their posts 
m double files, each file in charge of a sergeant. As a man's 
post is reached he drops out of line, and the man he relieves 
steps in. Thus the sergeants lead their squads over their routes 
every night and morning, and every officer is escorted to and 
from his post. In Captain Earhart's force there are altogether 
ninety-four men besides himself. They are divided as follows : 
two lieutenants, nine sergeants, three reserves, three men on 
Park detail, two turnkeys, one clerk, and seventy-four patrol- 
men. Captain Earhart enjoys the reputation of being the most 
athletic police captain of Baltimore. Many tales of his feats of 
strength are related by his old comrades. For years, until he 
finally rid his precinct of them, he was the only man on the 
police force whom the young roughs of North Baltimore person- 



384 OUR POLICE. 

ally feared. Stories of his almost superhuman strength found 
their way into the press all over the country, and he was visited 
by nearly every professional athlete who came to Baltimore. A 
description of Captain Earhart's exercising equipments, and an 
account of some of his exploits in Indian-club swinging, are 
written in the sketch of the Northwestern district gymnasium 
in another chapter. In appearance Captain Earhart is a tall, 
powerfully-built man, with a pleasant, open countenance and a 
rather military bearing. The gray streaks in his hair and his 
long, drooping moustache, bring to one's mind a life of activity 
and experience in dangers. Though strict in discipline, he is 
kind and affable with his men and is very popular among them. 

The following officers compose the staff of Captain Earhart, of 
the Northwestern district : 

Lieutenant William McK. Watkins was born in this city on 
June 27, 1828. He served in the United States navy as a regu- 
lar in 1850 and 1851, and from 1854 to 1860. He served as a 
policeman under Mayors Hinns and Swann. He enlisted as a 
private in Company a K" of the First Maryland regiment, the 
famous "Potomac Home Brigade;" on February 23, 1865, 
General "Winfield S. Hancock, on March 17, following, appointed 
him second lieutenant of Company "K" of the Thirteenth regi- 
ment of Maryland Infantry volunteers. He was discharged by 
reason of the close of the war on June 7, 1865. On Septem- 
ber 12, 1872, he was appointed to the police force, and on the 
8th of the following March was promoted to be sergeant. He 
was commissioned lieutenant on April 8, 1874. Henry Gam- 
brill, a leader of the notorious "Plug Ugly Club," killed a 
policeman on September 22, 1858. The same evening police- 
man Watkins arrested him and he was hanged for murder on 
April 9, 1859. In June, 1878, Lieutenant Watkins at immi- 
nent risk of his life rescued nine workmen from a fallen build- 
ing on Fremont near Lombard street, for which he received the 
thanks of the Police Board. 

Lieutenant Frank J. Flannery was born in Baltimore on July 
27, 1844. He was first appointed to the police force on April 




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OUR POLICE. 389 

15, 1870. During his connection with the department he has 
resigned and been reappointed twice. He was promoted to be 
sergeant on July 6, 1877, and to the lieutenancy on December 
9, 1886. While attempting to arrest Louis C. Baker, who 
stabbed his wife and a man named Louis Bauer, Baker shot 
Lieutenant Flannery in the right breast. Though bleeding pro- 
fusely from his wound the policeman brought his prisoner to the 
station. 

Sergeant John II . Saunders was born in St. Mary's county 
in this State on November 30, 1846. He was appointed to the 
police force on July 28, 1868, and on December 9, 1886, was 
promoted to be sergeant. During his connection with the de- 
partment he has arrested many noted criminals. 

Sergeant Littleton B. Wessels was born in Accomac county, 
Virginia, on February 25, 1845. In 1861 he enlisted in the 
Fifth Maryland volunteers of the United States Army and served 
until September 18, 1864, when he was honorably discharged. 
He was a prisoner of war at Richmond, Virginia, from June 15, 
to July 20, 1863. He joined the Baltimore police force on April 
8, 1874, and was commissioned sergeant on October 5, 1876. 

Sergeant Charles P. Dorn is a Baltimorean, having been born 
in this city on April 30, 1854. He became a policeman on Sep- 
tember 18, 1878, and on January 19, 1887, was appointed 
sergeant. 

Sergeant Theodore J. Foster was born in King William county 
Virginia, on December 12, 1852. He was appointed to the 
Baltimore police force on December 29, 1873, and was promoted 
to be sergeant on October 15, 1885. 

Sergeant Daniel II. Cline was born in Dayton, Rockingham 
county, Virginia, on March 31, 1840. He was made a patrol- 
man on the Baltimore police force on October 2, 1875, and on 
April 9, 1886, was promoted to be sergeant. 

Sergeant Cornelius L. Knott was born in Montgomery county 
in this State on March 10, 1827. He was appointed to the 
police force on May 1, 1867, and on June 1, 1870, was made 
sergeant. On the night of December 8, 1882, in Stone alley, he 



390 OUR POLICE. 

arrested a negro named Thomas Scott. He was attacked by a 
crowd of negroes who were trying to rescue the prisoner and 
frightfully beaten. A paving stone struck him on the right arm 
and disabled it, and he was severely beaten about the head with 
a club, his upper jaw being mashed in and several of his teeth 
knocked out. In 1870, at great personal risk he rescued two 
children from a burning building. The Police Board voted him 
$50 reward and presented him with a letter of thanks for his 
bravery. 

Sergeant Philip "Whalen was born in County Wicklow, Ire- 
land, on April 19, 1848, and came to this country with his 
parents when a child. He was made a policeman October 15, 
1877, and was promoted to a sergeancy on March 14, 1887. 

Sergeant Matthew E. Quinn was born in this city on May 29, 
1841. He was appointed to be patrolman in the Western dis- 
trict on April 29, 1867, and on April 8, 1874, he was promoted 
to be sergeant and transferred to the Northwestern district. 

Sergeant John A. G. Schultz was born in this city on Decem- 
ber 23, 1842. He served in the Federal army during the late 
war for two years and ten months, being discharged' at the close 
of the war on June 15, 1865. His right leg was fractured at 
Cold Spring, Washington county, Maryland, on December 9, 
1863. He was taken prisoner at Winchester, Virginia, on June 
15, 1863, and was sent to Richmond where he suffered confine- 
ment in Libby and Belle Isle prisons until he was paroled at City 
Island Point, Virginia, on July 20, 1863. He was appointed a 
member of the Baltimore police force on October 4, 1870, and 
on April 8, 1874, was made sergeant. 

Mr. John W. McFarland, the clerk of the Northwestern dis- 
trict, was born in this city on December 22, 1858. He worked 
at the cigar maker's trade until July 21, 1886, when he was ap- 
pointed to his present position. 



our police. 391 

The Southwestern District. 

Captain John Baker has been in command of the Southwestern 
district since October 14, 1886, when he succeeded Captain 
Daniel Lepson who was retired on half pay for life after a long 
and meritorious career in the service of the department. Daniel 
Lepson was the first captain of the Southwestern district. Pre- 
viously to assuming the charge of the Southwestern, Captain Baker 
commanded the Western district. His present force amounts 
all told to fifty-nine men exclusive of himself. They are divided 
according to their rank as follows : two lieutenants, nine sergeants, 
two turnkeys, one station-house clerk, and forty-five patrolmen. 
The territory under their protection is very extensive and includes 
a large number of important public and private buildings. The dis- 
trict extends from Franklin street on the north to the city limits on 
the south. Its eastern boundary is Schroeder street as far as 
Pratt street, and south of this, Scott street. Its western boundary 
is the city limits, making an area of 225 squares. The popula- 
tion of the district is sparse in the outer portions, but the greater 
part of the territory is closely built up and densely inhabited. 
A large number of the charitable institutions of the city are 
situated within its limits, and are objects of special supervision 
on the part of the police. Among these institutions are the 
Catholic House of Good Shepherd, occupying with its grounds 
the whole square bounded by Lombard, Gilmor, Hollins and 
Mount streets ; the Aged Germans' Home on Baltimore street ; 
the Baltimore Orphan Asylum on Strieker street, better known 
as the "Strieker Street orphan asylum;" the Home for the 
Aged, Methodist Episcopal; the Nursery and Childs' Hospital 
where the foundlings are cared for and reared; the Aged 
Women's Home and the Aged Men's Home. The great machine 
and repair shops of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company 
known as the Mount Clare workshops, which give employment 
to more than 3,000 men are also within the Southwestern 
district, as well as the immense iron foundries of Messrs. 
Hayward and Bartlett. In the southern portion of the district 
are the works of the Equitable, the Chesapeake and the Con- 
solidated gas companies. 



392 OUR POLICE. 

The police station at Pratt and Calhoun streets is a large 
square brick structure. It is the largest station in Baltimore. 
Attached to it is the stable in which the patrol and jail wagons 
with their horses are kept. The stable building is commodious 
and is fully equipped with all the appurtenances of a first-class 
stable. 

Captain Baker is an earnest advocate of the efficacy of gym- 
nasium practice in raising the physical standard of the police 
force. In the Southwestern station there is plenty of accommo- 
dation for a large and complete gymnasium, and it is hoped that 
one will soon be established there. The smallness of the force 
and lack of sufficient funds have heretofore discouraged any 
.action toward the formation of an athletic association with a 
gymnasium such as is now in operation in each of four other 
stations in the city. 

Captain Baker has been a member of the Baltimore police force 
since May 22, 1867. He is a German, having been born in 
Amberg, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, on February 27, 1846, 
His parents came to the United States when he was an infant 
and settled in Lynchburg, Virginia. Six years later they came 
to Baltimore, where Captain Baker has lived almost continuously 
ever since. He received a rudimentary education at one of the 
public schools of this city and then learned the trade of cigar- 
making. He was but fifteen years of age when the civil war 
broke out, but two years later, being very much advanced for his 
years, he enlisted in the Union Army. The only serious battle 
in which he took part was the conflict at Monocacy, near Fred- 
erick, Maryland, when the Federal troops were routed. Return- 
ing to Baltimore at the expiration of his term of enlistment he 
opened a small cigar shop on Baltimore street near Fremont. 
Owing largely to his youth and inexperience he wa3 unable to 
make this business pay as well as he had expected, and he closed 
it after a rather extended experiment a3 a retail merchant. 
Mean while in 1865, at the age of nineteen he had married a 
Baltimore young lady. After closing his business he worked at 
his trade both in this city and in York, Pennsylvania. In the early 
part of 1867, being called hither from York by the severe illness 







1#H 





JOHN BAKER, 

Captain of the Southwestern District. 



OUR POLICE. 395 

of his mother he made up his mind to remain, and as little was 
doing in the cigar business he made application for an appointment 
to the police force, which was then being reorganized by the new 
"Conservative Democratic police board," composed of Com- 
missioners Jarrett, Carr and Fusselbaugh. At the time he made 
his application he was just past his twenty-first birthday, though 
he looked to be several years older. On May 22, 1867, he 
received his commission and was assigned to duty in the Western 
district. After a little more than eight years' service as a private, 
during which time he underwent many thrilling experiences, he 
was promoted to be sergeant on September 24, 1875. On Octo- 
ber 3, 1882, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant after 
seven years of meritorious out-door service as a sergeant. Twenty- 
one months later he was elevated to the captaincy and given 
command of the Western district, which he remained in charge 
of until the retirement of old Captain Lepson of the Southwestern 
caused his transfer to that precinct. 

Captain Baker is a tall and rather spare but well-built man. 
His features are unmistakably South German. He is of a most 
approachable disposition and his countenance bears the reflection 
of .a jovial nature. His habits of close attention to duty secure 
for him the respect of his subordinates as well as the approval of 
his official superiors. While a sergeant in the Western district 
in October, 1875, Captain Baker became connected with one of 
the celebrated cases of the criminal bar of Baltimore, and one 
that excited an intense decree of indignation throughout the 
State. This was the attempted rape of three little white girls 
aged respectively nine, ten, and eleven years, by a burly young 
negro named Henry Cain. Cain was employed by a green grocer 
in the Western district as porter and driver. He enticed the 
children by gifts of fruit into the stable on several occasions and 
assaulted them. Finally the parents of one of the children dis- 
covered the outrages that were being committed and informed 
Sergeant Baker. He arrested Cain in his employer's shop on 
October 10, 1885. The negro was nonchalant at first, but after- 
ward when he learned of the great public horror and indignation 
at his crime he feared that he would be lynched and suffered from 



396 OUR POLICE. 

constant terror. He was tried before Judge Gilruor in the Crimi- 
nal Court and convicted. The judge sentenced him to ten years 
imprisonment in the Maryland State Penitentiary. He was 
released at the expiration of his term and was last seen by 
Captain Baker peddling bananas on Baltimore street. The girls 
having grown up since are now all married and live in various 
parts of the State. 

On August 4, 1882, shortly before he was made lieutenant, 
Sergeant Baker arrested a horse-thief who is still serving out his 
sentence of six years in the State Penitentiary. The fellow's 
name is Charles Coxen. He and two other negroes went out to 
Carroll County, Maryland, during the harvesting season of 1882, 
and worked for a number of farmers in that section. When 
harvesting was finished they returned to Baltimore. Doubtless 
fearing that the journey would be a rather wearisome one on foot 
the negroes helped themselves to two valuable horses belonging; 
to a gentleman in the county, which they found in the pasture one 
night, and rode them into Baltimore. Here they tried to sell them 
to several livery-stable owners, but unsuccessfully. They then 
left the animals in the Wayne Inn stables until they should return 
for them. But the proprietor of the establishment believing from 
the men's actions that they had stolen the horses notified the 
police. The latter had been warned to look out for the two horses. 
When one of the negroes called for the animals the following day 
he was arrested and sent to Carroll County. When confronted 
with a number of evidences of his guilt he " weakened" and con- 
fessed the crime, giving also the names of his companions. One 
of these was Coxen. Sergeant Baker was detailed to search for 
and arrest the thief. After a long search he found that Coxen 
was employed at Bartlett's coal-yard on East Madison street. 
The sergeant arrested his man in the yard at work. He was sent 
to Carroll County and convicted there of horse stealing, for which 
he was sentenced as above stated. 

One of the most brutal crimes committed in Baltimore in 
recent years was the murder of Emeline Miller by Joseph A. 
Katzenberger in the evening of November 6, 1884. Miss Miller 
was a pretty German girl who lived in a house in the rear of 



OUR POLICE. 397 

Mueller's saloon at No. 33 North Paca street. She was gener- 
ally recognized as the sweetheart of young Katzenberger. The 
latter was a young man well known about town among the class of 
people to which he belonged. His reputation with the police was 
far from savory, and he was looked upon as a stabber, having 
previously cut a man named Conway in a brawl in an alley — a 
deed for which, however, he was never punished. On Novem- 
ber 6, he and a number of his companions, who had been cele- 
brating the result of the recent election for several days in a 
riotous manner, were in Mueller's saloon. His companions had 
been bantering him about his attentions to Miss Miller, and 
teasing him with stories of flirtations they said she was having 
with other men. When he and another young man went out of 
the saloon Miss Miller was standing in the adjoining hall door- 
way. She called to his companion but did not speak to Katzen- 
berger. The former went up to the young woman and engaged in 
a lively conversation while Katzenberger remained for a few mo- 
ments standing moodily in front of the saloon. Suddenly he 
walked up to the pair, and drawing a large clasp knife, without 
a word of warning stabbed the unsuspecting girl in the abdomen. 
She fell with a shriek and fainted. Somebody notified the police, 
and Captain Baker, who had just come into the station, received 
word over the telephone from the Central station that an affray 
had taken place on Paca street. He hastened to the spot, but 
before he reached Mueller's saloon, into the back room of which 
Miss Miller had been taken and laid on a sofa, the unfortunate 
girl was dead. Katzenberger in his intoxicated condition did not 
seem to realize what he had done, for he remained about the 
saloon until Captain Baker arrested him. The knife with which 
the brutal murder was committed was never found. Katzen- 
berger was tried and convicted of murder in the second degree in 
Ellicott City. Public feeling ran so high against him in Balti- 
more that he demanded the removal of his trial to another county. 
He was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment and he is now 
serving his time in the penitentiary. 

During the early part of the summer of 1885, Captain Baker 
and other police captains throughout the city received many com- 



398 OUR POLICE. 

plaints of the depredations of two boarding-house thieves. They 
had robbed a large number of houses in all parts of Baltimore. 
Their method was to go to a boarding-house in the forenoon and 
afcer being shown a room to engage board. They would then 
say that they had been travelling all night and were tired and 
would go to bed at once. As soon as they were left alone they 
would make their way into the vacated rooms of the other board- 
ers who were absent at business, and steal everything in the way 
of clothing and jewelry they could find. They would dress 
themselves in two suits of clothes, one over the ether, and with 
their pockets stuffed with booty would disappear. Captain Baker 
determined to capture the fellows. He had received a very good 
description of them from the keepers of the many boarding- 
houses they had robbed, and thinking that they must have 
some place in the town where they actually boarded, he ordered 
his men to make inquiries at every lodging-house in the district. 
The next day an officer reported that he had found the men in a 
house on Lexington street close by the station. Captain Baker 
went thither with Officer Whalen, and was conversing w T ith the 
landlady, endeavoring to persuade her to permit him and his 
companions to search the men's room in their absence, when the 
front door opened and the two walked in. Captain Baker recog- 
nized them at once. 

"I'd like to speak to you in your room," he said. 

The men assented with feigned ignorance of his purpose and 
they went up-stairs together. The men occupied two small 
adjoining room3 on the fourth floor of the house. When they 
arrived in their apartments the Captain accused the fellows of 
being the thieves he was in search of. They indignantly denied 
it and offered to permit the room to be searched. As they were 
talking one of the men said : 

"I want a drink;" and stepped into the adjoining room, the 
door into which stood open. Suddenly a noise was heard in the 
room. 

"He's gone!" cried Captain Baker. Officer Whalen rushed 
down the stairs and Captain Baker looked out the window to cry 
"stop thief!" in case the man should reach the sidewalk before 



OUR POLICE- 399 

the policeman. He waited several minutes and the man did not 
issue from the house. Officer Whalen then returned and searched 
the building from top to bottom without finding the fugitive. 
Mystified and chagrined Captain Baker was escorting his solitary 
prisoner to the station when he heard a noise and a sound of 
excited voices in a German baker's shop which he was passing. 

"What's the matter?" he asked of the baker. 

"A man shust runned droo mine place," replied the German, 
" and he's in the back yard !" 

"He's a thief! Catch him!" called out the Captain, still 
holding his own prisoner. But the German had no idea of 
playing policeman, and Captain Baker saw the man scale a back 
fence into the alley in the rear and start to run down toward 
Pine street. Officer Whalen was standing near the corner look- 
ing around in hope that he might catch a glimpse of his man. 
Captain Baker motioned him to go in the direction of the alley. 
The policeman went as he was directed, arriving at the mouth of 
the alley just as his prisoner ran into his arms. 

On searching the men at the station it was discovered that 
they were just returning from a thieving trip when they were 
arrested. They each wore two suits of clothes, one over the 
other, and their pockets were filled with jewelry, silk handker- 
chiefs, etc. Officer Whalen's prisoner explained the mystery of 
his disappearance. He had got out of the window on a flower- 
pot shelf on the outside of the wall, and had swung himself up to 
the roof of the house by catching hold of the gutter. After pass- 
ing through this perilous feat without injury he ran along the 
roof down the block, jumping from one house to another, some- 
times as much as fifteen feet at a time, and finally letting himself 
down into the baker's back yard. In his last jump he hurt him- 
self quite severely on the hip and was confined to the hospital for 
some time before he was tried. The men were both convicted 
and sentenced to five years each in the Maryland State peniten- 
tiary. Their photographs now grace the rogue's gallery. They 
had given the aliases of Henry Harris and John Smith, respec- 
tively, but by letters found in their rooms Captain Baker learned 
their real names to be Edward E. George, whose home was in 



400 OUR POLICE. 

Des Moines, Iowa, and John McLane, of Philadelphia. Both 
young men are well connected. 

Captain Baker's present precinct being inhabited almost exclu- 
sively by a highly respectable class of people, mostly in very 
moderate circumstances, his daily dockets show few arrests of 
importance. 

The staff of the Southwestern district is as follows : 
Lieutenant Thomas A. Fitzgerald was born in Limerick, Ire- 
land, on July 17, 1824, and came to Baltimore when very young. 
He was appointed to serve on the police fore on May 7, 1860, 
by president Charles Howard. When the Police Board was ar- 
rested in 1861 Mr. Fitzgerald left the force, but on November 
27, 1867, he was again appointed a patrolman, and in May, 1872, 
was promoted to the position of sergeant. In April, 1874, he 
was given the rank of lieutenant. Lieutenent Fitzgerald has 
made many important arrests, the most notorious burglar he ever 
captured being Charles Munson, alias Lyman Barr, who was ar- 
rested by the lieutenant on April 22, 1868, for breaking into Mr. 
Ross "Winans' home and stealing a large amount of property. 
Barr was convicted by the Criminal Court and sentenced to the 
penitentiary for six years. In May, 1876, Lieutenant Fitzger- 
ald arrested a negro named John Brown for committing a mur- 
derous assault on a young lady named Whelan, living at Biddle 
and Bolton streets. Miss Whelan's bed-room was entered by 
Brown during the night, and while she was asleep he struck her 
on the head with an axe, cutting away a part of the skull. The 
crime caused great indignation in Baltimore and Lieutenant 
Fitzgerald obtained much praise for his capture. Brown was 
tried, convicted and sent to the penitentiary for ten yeas. 

Lieutenant "William B. Minor was born in Norfolk, Virginia, 
on January 15, 1846. He served four years as a private in 
Company I, Thirty-eighth Virginia regiment, Pickett's Division, 
Confederate Army, having enlisted on July 8, 1861. He was 
taken prisoner at Norfolk on December 26, 1864, and was con- 
fined at Fort McHenry, this city, until June 1, 1864, when he 
was discharged owing to the close of the war. He was appointed 




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L 



OUR POLICE. 405 

a policeman on August, 22, 1874, in the Western district, and was 
promoted to be sergeant on November 26, 1878. On July 17, 
1884, at the formation of the Southwestern district he was 
made Lieutenant. 

Sergeant Henry C. Smith was born in Maryland. He served 
in the Union army from June 25, 1863 to May 31, 1865, in 
Company K, of the Seventh Maryland Regiment as lieutenant, 
and was discharged from service at Arlington Heights. He 
was first appointed a policeman by Mayor Swann on November 
10, 1858, and served until May, 1860. He was reappointed in 
July, 1861, and resigned in June, 1863, so that he could enlist. 
On July 6, 1865, he was reappointed to the Baltimore police 
force, and again resigned on June 30, 1873, to engage in other 
business. On July 16, 1874, he was again appointed to the 
police force, and on the formation of the Southwestern district 
was transferred to it and made sergeant on July 17, 1884. 

Sergeant Harvey P. Morhiser was born in this State on June 
28, 1856, and was made a policeman on September 7, 1881. 
He was promoted to a sergeancy on April 24, 1883, while in 
the Western district, and was transferred to the Southwestern 
district upon its formation. 

Sergeant Peter Montague was born in Ireland on December 
25, 1835, and came to this country with his parents. He was 
appointed to serve on the force in the Southern district on Janu- 
ary 12, 1872, and when the Southwestern district was organized 
he was transferred and promoted to a sergeancy. 

Sergeant Timothy A. Broderick was born in Ireland on Jan- 
uary 1, 1845, and came to this city when a child. He was ap- 
pointed to be a patrolman on February 4, 1875, in the Southern 
district, and was promoted to be sergeant in the Southwestern 
district on September 29, 1884. 

Sergeant Michael Lanahan was born in this State on May 8. 
1846, and was made a patrolman on February 24, 1879, the 
Board of Police assigning him to the Western district. He was 
promoted to be sergeant on July 16, 1884, and was transferred 
to this district upon its organization. 



406 OUR POLICE. 

Sergeant C. H. Williamson was born in Queen Anne county, 
Maryland, on May 20, 1839, and was appointed a policeman on 
April 8, 1874. On the formation of the Southwestern district 
he was transferred there and commissioned sergeant on June 
21, 1886. Among the most notable of his arrests was that of 
Charles Daniels for the murder of a woman in York, Penn- 
sylvania. 

Sergeant William T. Russell was born in this city on Novem- 
ber 20, 1854, and was appointed a policeman on September 29, 
1884. On June 21, 1886, he received his warrant as sergeant. 

Sergeant Charles A. Shoemaker was born in Baltimore on May 
21, 1854, and was appointed to be a patrolman on the municipal 
force in the Southern district. He was subsequently transferred 
to the Southwestern district and made sergeant on July 17, 
1884. 

Sergeant John Butler was born on March 16, 1850, in 
King's county, Ireland. He came to Baltimore when a lad, and 
on April 21, 1879, was appointed to the Western district as 
a policeman. He was transferred to the Southwestern district 
upon its formation and made a sergeant on April 9, 1886. 

Mr. Gwinn F. Owens is the clerk of Captain Baker's station- 
house. He was born in Baltimore on January 28, 1849. His 
appointment as clerk was dated April 9, 1886. 

The Northeastern District. 

The Captain of the Northeastern police district is Philip J. 
Barber. He has been in command at the station at the south- 
west corner of Chew and Durham streets since April 27, 1883, 
when he was promoted from lieutenant upon the resignation of 
Captain Geo. W. Aaron, who had been in charge since the organi- 
zation of the district. His squad exclusive of himself and the 
clerk of the station, numbers eighty-one men, divided according 
to their rank as follows : two lieutenants, nine sergeants, sixty- 
eight patrolmen, and two turnke} T s. 

The appointments of Captain Barber's station are probably the 
best in Baltimore, both as regards the security and the well-being 




PHILIP J. BARBER, 
Captain of the Northeastern District. 



OUR POLICE. 409 

of prisoners and the comfort and enjoyment of the men. The 
utmost care is taken in keeping the cells clean and free from 
vermin and foul odors, for, as Captain Barber puts it: "a man is 
not necessarily a criminal because he is arrested — at any rate he 
has not yet been judicially declared so, and he ought to be 
treated with as much consideration and courtesy as is compatible 
with his secure detention. Few more outrageous things can be 
imagined than that an honest and respectable citizen, arrested on 
suspicion or perhaps in mistake for somebody else, should be 
roughly thrust into a noisome dungeon perhaps for twenty-four 
or thirty-six hours. Yet such things occur daily, and everybody, 
including the victim himself seems to think the matter one of 
those things that come with civilization and can't be helped. It 
does not seem to occur to them that a citizen ought to have the 
right to demand decent, yes, comfortable, quarters while under 
detention until he has been adjudged a criminal. I cannot 
undertake in any way to revolutionize police methods which pre- 
vail the world over, but so far as my own station is concerned, 
with the facilities that are allotted to me, I can see that pris- 
oners detained on suspicion of crime are treated with the decency 
that is. the right of every unconvicted citizen, and are supplied 
with such comforts and conveniences as it lies in our power to 
give them." 

The same kindly disposition which prompts Captain Barber to 
treat his prisoners humanely is shown also in the solicitation he 
has always displayed for the comfort of the men of his force, and 
in the lively interest he has always taken in anything tending 
towards their advantage. The great social feature of station life 
for a Baltimore policeman is undoubtedly the gymnasium. In 
Captain Barber's station is the best gymnasium in many re- 
spects of the four in Baltimore, and patrolman Spellman, the 
instructor in gymnastics and athletics, says unhesitatingly, that 
the Northeastern men take a more intelligent interest in their 
gymnasium work and possess a larger amount of esprit du 
corps so far as police duties are concerned than any other squad 
on the force. Whatever the opinion as to the accuracy of Mr. 
Spellman's assertions may be, there can be no doubt that Captain 



410 OUR POLICE. 

Barber has trained his squad in the gymnasium and at the drill 
to be a remarkably fine body of police officers. 

Captain Barber has been a Baltimorean since his birth, and 
excepting during the war, he has lived continuously either in 
Baltimore city or county. He was born on a farm in Gardens- 
ville, Baltimore county, on May 20, 1833. His father died while 
he was yet an infant and left him to the guardianship of his 
grandparents. They sent him to private schools in Mount 
Pleasant and Lauraville villages close ( by their home. In those 
days there were no public schools in rural Maryland. After 
receiving a good rudimentary education he worked on his grand- 
father's farm until he became of age, when he went to Baltimore. 
He had made up his mind before leaving home to enter the pro- 
duce commission business, and when he started for the city he 
had already made arrangements with many of his friends in 
Baltimore county — gardeners and truck-farmers — to receive and 
sell their produce for them. He established a headquarters at 
the Light street wharf at first, and confined his efforts to dis- 
posing of the goods consigned to him, to retail grocers, etc., but 
later he rented stalls in the Center, Lexington, and Belair 
markets, and took his brother into business with him. Afterward 
they dissolved partnership, the brother starting a business of his 
own. Mr. Barber then took other partners and together they 
did a large and profitable business until 1861. At that time the 
war having broken out, the people of Maryland, particularly 
those in the country about Baltimore, became intensely excited, 
a strong Southern feeling prevailing among them. The approach 
of Northern troops toward Baltimore aroused them to a still 
higher pitch. Mr. Barber shared the feelings of his neighbors, 
and on Sunday, in the early part of April, on going out home to 
Gardensville he found a military company being formed there. 
He promptly took a hand in the movement and was a leading 
spirit in the organization. Ammunition was wanted at once, but it 
being Sunday no shops were open at which it could be purchased. 
Mr. Barber volunteered to lead a committee to a certain shop- 
keeper and make a demand upon him for the material desired. 
The shopkeeper refused to sell the committee anything, so they 



OUR POLICE. 411 

broke into the shop, and securing what they wanted departed, 
leaving with the merchant an order on their captain for the 
price of the ammunition they took. Mr. Barber signed his name 
to the order. This, as afterward transpired, was a great mistake 
on his part, for when General Butler took possession of Baltimore 
and its suburbs he began a most violent campaign against all in- 
dividuals who took any conspicuous part in the warfare against 
the United States government. The shopkeeper complained to 
the Union officers of Mr. Barber's action, and an order was issued 
for his arrest. By strenuous efforts, however, Mr. Barber's 
friends removed the evidence necessary to convict him and he 
was discharged by the court-martial. Had he been convicted he 
would doubtless have been executed. After this he hastily dis- 
posed of his business, and on April 21, 1861, left Baltimore. He 
returned after a short time, and was arrested on a charge 
of transporting contraband goods for the Confederate troops. 
He escaped from his captors, however, and fled to Pennsyl- 
vania, where he roamed about from town to town, occasionally 
returning unobserved into Maryland and making a living as best 
be could until the close of the war. 

On the first of May, 1865, the war being practically over so 
far as this section of the country was concerned, Mr. Barber 
returned to Baltimore and re-engaged in his old business. But 
things had changed greatly in every way during the four years 
that he had been absent, and though by hard struggling he 
managed to make a fair living, the business was far from being 
what it formerly was. So in 1869, after a particularly unprofit- 
able season he welcomed an appointment to the police force. 
He received his commission on April 10, 1869, and was assigned 
to duty in the Central district. At that time the district in- 
cluded also the present Northeastern. When he entered upon 
his duties he sold out his interest in his commission business to 
his partners. He served as a patrolman for just five years and 
two days until April 12, 1874, when he was promoted to be 
sergeant with day duty. This was an extraordinary occurrence, 
which probably has not happened before or since in the history 



412 OUR POLICE. 

of the department, as newly appointed sergeants are invariably 
assigned at first to night duty. 

Sergeant Barber was placed in command of the squad that 
guarded the northeastern quarter of the Central district. The 
streets there were by no means as fully built up then as they 
are now, and the neighborhood was frequented by gangs of 
dangerous persons — reckless men and worse women. Robberies 
were of daily occurrence in broad daylight and frequent com- 
plaints of bold crimes were made to the police. Marshal Gray 
directed Sergeant Barber to make a special crusade against these 
criminals, and he set about to do so with a will. One set of 
petty robberies caused a great deal of annoyance, and for a long 
time the police were unable to find any clew to the identity of 
the perpetrators. The thief's method was to go up the steps of 
a house which he believed to be temporarily vacated and ring 
the front door-bell. It was summer, and the fellow carried a sun 
umbrella with him which he held over his head, covering his 
face always with it when anybody passed by. After he had rung 
at the door violently several times, a neighbor would usually 
come to the window and inform him that the occupants of the 
house were all out. Still keeping the umbrella over his face he 
would then move off until the neighbor had retired, when he 
would return, .open the door with a skeleton key and ransack 
the house. He took nothing as a rule but clothing and jewelry, 
which he carried away with him in a basket. 

Sergeant Barber watched for this thief for several weeks before 
he caught him. One afternoon in August a man with a basket 
passed him on Eager street. Thinking the fellow acted suspi- 
ciously the sergeant ordered him to exhibit the contents of his 
burden. The basket was filled with a miscellaneous assortment 
of clothing. The man was unable to give an explanation of his 
possession of the goods, and Sergeant Barber arrested him on 
suspicion. They had hardly reached the station when a lady 
rushed in excitedly to say that her house had been robbed. She 
recognized the clothing in the basket at once as hers, and the 
thief then confessed that he had stolen it. He also confessed 
that he was the author of the scores of similar burglaries that 



OUR POLICE. 413 

had worried the police for so long. His name was Robert 
Francis. Notwithstanding his admissions, he was not convicted. 
The people whom he had robbed nearly all compromised with 
him, agreeing not to appear against him if he would discover to 
them where he had disposed of their property. More than one 
thousand dollars worth of clothing and jewelry in this way was 
recovered by its owners. Francis was afterwards sent to the 
penitentiary for two years as a common thief. He is now at 
large with the eye of the Northeastern police upon him. 

In October, 1874, Sergeant Barber arrested two young men 
named Edward Bonn and Talbot Campbell, who had been causing 
retail merchants in all parts of the city much annoyance and loss 
by stealing from show-cases and from piles of goods lying in front 
of stores. He found them in Harris' second-hand store at Chew 
and Stirling streets, trying to dispose of some goods they had 
stolen. Bonn and Campbell in the few weeks that they were 
operating in this city stole goods valued at several thousand dol- 
lars. They were convicted and each sent to prison for eighteen 
months. 

At about this time the Central district was divided into two 
parts, one being called the Northeastern and the other retaining 
the old name of the Central district. A part of the old Eastern 
district was also included in the Northeastern. Sergeant Barber 
was promoted to be lieutenant in the newly-created district. He 
received his commission on April 28, 1875. The new district was 
bounded as follows : On the north and east by the boundary line 
between Baltimore city and Baltimore county ; on the west by 
Aisquith street and Greenmount avenue ; and on the south by 
Baltimore street. It is almost entirely a residential section of 
the city, and is occupied for the most part by citizens of moderate 
income, though in the southern portion there are a large number 
of handsome mansions belonging to some of the wealthiest persons 
in the city. Among the buildings of a public character located 
within the district are the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Notre 
Dame school, connected with Saint James Church. 

As lieutenant Mr. Barber's duties kept him a large portion of 
the time in the station. He made some important and some 



414 OUR POLICE. 

curious arrests nevertheless. On September 25, 1875, he cap- 
tured Peter Ratwitch, a vicious young German, who had com- 
mitted a bold burglary a few days previously at the house of 
Henry Kennease, of Gardensville, Baltimore county. Beside 
getting the burglar Lieutenant Barber recovered a gold watch 
and chain, part of the fellow's booty, and the Police Commission- 
ers permitted him to accept a reward of $50 which had been 
offered for the recovery of the property. The youth was sen- 
tenced to three years' imprisonment, but was pardoned out by 
the Governor after he had served about half his term. He im- 
mediately began committing robberies again and has been since 
arrested many times and twice sentenced to imprisonment. 

A curious case of theft in which Lieutenant Barber arrested the 
thief was that of the negro Paul Jones, who was employed as 
porter at a large shoe shop in Baltimore street. Lieutenant Bar- 
ber was going to the station very early one morning when he en- 
countered Jones on the corner of Aisquith and Preston streets, 
carrying a basket on his arm. He asked the negro what was in 
the basket. The latter replied that it was empty. Lieutenant 
Barber did not believe this and he ordered Jones to stop and 
show him its contents. The fellow hesitated and Lieutenant Bar- 
ber lifted the lid of the receptacle. It was filled with shoe- 
strings. On account of the negro's suspicious actions the Lieu- 
tenant concluded to take him to the station. There the manager 
of the shoe-store called upon Jones and received his confession 
that he had stolen more than 25,000 shoe-strings within a short 
time from the cellar of the store where he was employed. He 
had in his basket when arrested by Lieutenant Barber more than 
5,000 shoe-strings, valued at $14. Most of the stolen property 
was recovered and Jones was sentenced to two years' imprison- 
ment. 

One afternoon in the same month Lieutenant Barber searched 
a house in Dunham street near Eagle, for a negro who was 
wanted for highway robbery. He did not find his man, but 
asleep on a bench in the house he saw another large young negro 
whose appearance seemed familiar. He thought a moment and 
then recalled a description that had been sent out of Augustus 



OUR, POLICE. 415 

Harmon, colored, a sneak-thief who had successfully robbed the 
money-drawers of several saloons during the week previous, and 
had secured a large amount of money. He awakened the negro 
and made him put on his hat and coat. Seeing that he answered 
the description of the sneak-thief, the lieutenant marched him 
off to the station. Harmon was convicted and sent to prison for 
two years and a half. 

In August of the following year, 1875, Lieutenant Barber was 
somewhat astonished at the sight of two cows wandering into the 
station yard. He called to a policeman to corral them until their 
owner should call for them. An hour or two later a dairyman who 
owned a pasture-lot near by called and claiming the cattle drove 
them off. That afternoon the Evening Commercial contained an 
advertisement offering $10 reward for two cows that had been 
stolen from two farmers of Calverton, Baltimore county, and 
describing a peculiar horn that one of the cows had. Lieutenant 
Barber remembered that one of the cows he had seen in the morn- 
ing had such a horn, and suspecting it to be one of the stolen 
animals he went to the dairyman who had claimed it and asked 
an explanation. The man said the two cows had been left with 
him to keep in pasture by two young men who had unsucessfully 
tried to sell them to him. They had said they would call for 
the cattle the following day. The dairyman promised to send for 
the lieutenant when the young. men came, and to keep them in 
conversation until the police could capture them. As they said 
they would, the young men came the following morning for the 
animals. The dairyman pretended to want to bargain for the 
cattle and kept the youths in conversation until Lieutenant Bar- 
ber arrived and arrested them. Their names were William 
Warsdell and Frank McCarthy. The owners of the cows were 
Messrs. James W. M. Mercer and Thomas Fallone. The youths 
were convicted and were sent to the penitentiary for two years 
each. Lieutenant Barber was allowed by the Police Board to 
receive the $10 reward. 

On April 27, after having served as Lieutenant at the North- 
eastern station for eight years, less one day, Mr. Barber was 
promoted to be Captain of the district, a position which he still 



416 OUR POLICE. 

holds. Captain Barber is a man of modest and quiet demeanor 
but of strong will and determination. He is of medium stature, 
with gray hair and moustach, and he has a pair of bright, 
searching eyes which make it unpleasant for a prevaricating 
prisoner. 

The following is the staff of the Northeastern District : 

Lieutenant Daniel Shettle was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on 
February 22, 1833. He was appointed to the police force of 
this city as patrolman in the Northeastern District on August 3, 
1867. On April 28, 1875, he was promoted to the sergeancy of 
his district, and on July 12, 1877, he was made lieutenant. 

Lieutenant James H. Carroll was born in Baltimore on Janu- 
ary 8, 1843. He entered the police department as a patrolman 
on March 25, 1869. After serving nearly five years in that 
capacity he was on December 1, 1 874, promoted to be lieutenant. 
During his term of service Lieutenant Carroll has made many 
important arrests, among the number being John J. Willis, whom 
he captured on June 10, 1877, for burglary; James Johnson, alias 
Barney, a well known thief, on June 23, 1877. On August 11, 
1877, he arrested Joseph By an for passing counterfeit money. 

Sergeant P. F. J. Bosch was born in Baltimore in 1854. He 
was appointed to the police force as a patrolman on September 15, 
1879, and was promoted to be sergeant on April 9, 1886. 

Sergeant Basil S. Wellener, Jr., was born in this city on De- 
cember 25, 1849. He was appointed to the police force as 
patrolman on April 21, 1881, and was promoted to his present 
rank on April 21, 1887. 

Sergeant Henry Mittendorf also was born in this city, on 
March 27, 1840. He entered the department on May 7, 1867, 
as a patrolman, and on April 27, 1883, he was promoted to the 
sergeancy. 

Sergeant F. S. Crate was born in Baltimore, and on March 
18, 1861, he enlisted in the First Regiment, South Carolina 
Heavy Artillery, as first sergeant and served three years and six 
months. He was appointed to the police force as patrolman on 
February 27, 1877, and was made sergeant on March 18, 1881. 







tf -4 

W Pi 










i A 



OUR POLICE. 421 

Among the important arrests made by Sergeant Crate were those 
of John Peters, a convict who escaped from the Maryland peni- 
tentiary; Patrick Kernan for shooting James McCourt; Valancea 
Bolancea for counterfeiting, and William Garish for murderous 
assault. 

Sergeant Augustus Chaillou was born in Baltimore on July 
31, 1836. He was appointed a patrolman in the police depart- 
ment on November 12, 1867, and was promoted to be sergeant 
on February 1, 1870. 

Sergeant Benjamin W. York was born in Baltimore on Novem- 
ber 2, 1855. He was made a patrolman on May 13, 1884, and 
promoted to be sergeant on July 8, 1885. 

Sergeant Thomas F. Hogan was born in Baltimore County on 
June 10, 1849. He became a member of the police force on 
April 7, 1874, as patrolman, and was made a sergeant on Sep- 
tember 5, 1878. On September 27, 1882, he arrested Rupert 
Spencer for the murder of Robert Boss in North Eden street ; 
on December 23, 1883, he captured Catherine Wells for passing 
counterfeit fifty cent pieces, and on January 31, 1884, he arrested 
John Walker for burglary. 

Sergeant George William Schafer was born in Baltimore on 
January 14, 1839. He enlisted in the Confederate army on 
May 2, 1862, and served until the close of the war. On March 
16, 1870, he was appointed patrolman on the police force, and 
was made a sergeant on April 29, 1875. 

Sergeant William J. Carrick was born in Prince George 
County, Maryland, on October 9, 1841. He was appointed to 
the police force on December 14, 1870, and served until the 
autumn of 1873, when he resigned. He was reappointed on 
July 26, 1876, and was made sergeant on August 4, 1883. 

The Clerk of the Northeastern District is Andrea P. Caldwell. 
He was born in this city on the last day of 1835. He studied 
architecture, and during the late war was connected with the 
quartermaster's department of the Union army in this city and 
Washington, as draughtsman and inspector of forts and hospitals. 
After the war lie took a position as bookkeeper in a large maim- 



422 



OUR POLICE. 



facturing concern. On April 29, 1875, he was appointed a pa- 
trolman with clerical duty at the Northeastern Station. In 1886, 
when the Legislature made provision for the appointment of civilian 
clerks for the station-houses, he resigned his commission as patrol- 
man to accept the position which he now holds. 



CUR POLICE. 423 



CHAPTER XIV. 

The Police Gymnasiums. 

the lack op ambition in the old force. — an incident in 
scaling fences. — first organization in the central 
district. — starting a gymnasium with $100. — engaging 

professor kimball. — society and athletics combined. 

the first exhibition a great success.— interior of 
the central station gymnasium. — in the north-western 
gymnasium. — captain earhart as an ' athlete, and his 
fondness for heavy weights.— how a fine exercising 
hall was furnished. — the eastern district exercising 
halls, both old and new. — a fine gymnasium from a 
small beginning. — the north-eastern athletes at work.— 

organizing a police association, and its list of rules. 

what athletics has done for our police. 
Among those who have watched the rapid progress in efficiency 
of the police force during the last few years, there is no dispute 
regarding the leading influence which systematic physical training 
has had in bringing about the present great results. The idea of 
establishing gymnasiums for the use of the police was one that 
lay in the practical brain of Deputy-marshal Lannan for years 
before the opportunity finally arrived for him to realize his plans. 
Mr. Lannan having joined the force as a patrolman, and having 
passed through all the active grades of the service with many 
years of experience in each of them, had every opportunity of 
knowing the needs of the men and the difficulties they had to 
contend with. The immediate necessity for remedies for the 
many evils that existed was apparent. The patrolmen had long 
beats and many hours of service. They were on their posts 
twelve hours in the day, and put through a burdensome drill 
night, and morning. Being always subject to duty's call they 
were often denied social pleasures. "But," says Deputy-marshal 



424 OUR POLICE. 

Lannan, "the worst evil that I noticed among the men was 
their lack of physical prowess. Now, my ideal of a police force 
is a body of powerful, athletic, quick-witted fellows, conscious of 
their great strength and not afraid to undertake any hand-to- 
hand struggle demanded in the course of their duty. Time after 
time I have seen a policeman come into the station after a hard 
struggle with his prisoner, so completely exhausted that he was 
scarcely able 'to speak, while the prisoner, probably a vicious 
young giant, showed scarcely any signs of weariness. 

" One afternoon, on the occasion of some civic demonstration — I 
forget the occasion — a scaffolding was erected for the accommoda- 
tion of those who wished to see the parade. The structure ex- 
tended to the rear of the top of a board fence some seven or eight 
feet high. Suddenly a part of the scaffolding behind the fence 
cracked, and a number of people fell inside the inclosure. I was 
on the street with four men. There being no opening through 
the fence near by, except a gate of which the latch was inside, 
my men began to try to scale it. They struggled awkwardly for 
a few moments endeavoring to climb over, but without success. 
An athletic looking young man was standing close by, and turn- 
ing asked me : 

" ' Shall I get over and open the gate, Captain ? ' 

'"Go ahead ! ' I replied, though rather chagrined at the idea of 
my men being outdone by a citizen. 

" The young man gave a leap, and catching the top of the fence, 
clambered over in a moment ; then he opened the door and let 
us in. Nobody was hurt by the accident, luckily. But that 
incident kept before my mind and bothered me. That young 
man, had he been a thief or a murderer, with half a minute's start 
ahead of those policemen, could have escaped from them all 
without the slightest trouble. And how many criminals have 
escaped capture because they have been too fleet or powerful for 
the pursuing policeman will never be known. I don't say that 
the Baltimore police were at all unlike those of other cities, 
and perhaps they were better than some, but I felt they were far 
from being what they should be and could be if some provision 
were made for their better physical and social development. I 



OUR POLICE. 425 

thought over a scheme for a police athletic club at first, something 
like the one in New York, but this presented many difficulties, 
and besides I was not sure it would be popular. But in the lat- 
ter part of 1880, when I was Captain of the Central district, I 
wa3 told that the Lafayette Turn-verein, a German athletic 
organization which had a good gymnasium at Charles and 
Fayette streets, the same hall in which Professor McGraw now 
has his school for physical training, was about to disband and 
that their material was for sale. The top floor of the Central 
station, a large and lofty room, nearly ninety feet long by 
forty feet wide, was at that time used as a drill-room for the 
patrolmen of the Central squad. I thought it would be a good 
idea to buy out some of the most useful paraphernalia of the 
Lafayette gymnasium and set it up in the drill-room. Marshal 
Frey, who was then Deputy -marshal, cordially approved of the 
plan, as did Marshal Gray and Judge William H. B. Fusselbaugh, 
General James R. Herbert and Mr. John Milroy, who were then 
the Police Commissioners. The men did not respond at first as 
heartily as I had hoped they would to my call for an organization. 
The trouble was they had no interest in each other nor in the 
police force after their day's work was done. Twenty out of the 
one hundred and fifty men in the Central squad came into the 
scheme, however, and we named the organization the i Central 
Police Athletic Association.' I bought the most necessary arti- 
cles for our new gymnasium, such as mattresses, clubs, dumb-bells, 
horizontal bars, etc., from the Lafayette Turners for $42, which 
was afterwards paid back to me by the association. The twenty 
men who first joined were among the best of the squad. They 
took a lively interest from the start, and in a short time began 
to make a most gratifying progress in athletic skill. Of course 
as the hall was still used as a drill-room, and for that matter it con- 
tinues to be so used, the attention of the rest of the men was drawn 
night and morning to the work of our members. One by one 
they began to be interested. The first meeting of the organiza- 
tion was on the evening of November 9, 1880, and before the 
close of the year about one-half the men belonging to the station 
began to systematically exercise. The expenses were small and 



426 OUR POLICE. 

our dues were only twenty-five cents every other week. The 
initiation fee of $1.50 was returned to the member if he left the 
force. As the enterprise grew the men became more ambitious. 
It was proposed that somebody be engaged to give regular instruc- 
tion in gymnastics. Whom to get was a difficult question. 
Finally detective Adams, of New York, who happened to be 
down here, very highly recommended an acquaintance of his in 
New York, a first-class all-around athlete, named Silas Kimball. 
Some of the men had heard of Kimball before, and a resolution 
was passed authorizing Deputy-marshal Frey to arrange with him 
to move to Baltimore and become the regular instructor, in the 
gymnasium. After some correspondence they came to an agree- 
ment by Which the association was to pay Professor Kimball 
$1,400 for a one year's engagement. He proved to be a com- 
petent man and we engaged him for the two subsequent years, the 
latter engagements, however, being at a lower salary." 

It seems that besides being a good athlete Professor Kimball 
was useful to the association in many other ways. He was a 
carpenter by trade and made and erected the greater part of the 
excellent stationary paraphernalia now in the gymnasium of the 
Central station, consisting of the horizontal bars, the trapezes, 
the rowing and pulling machines, the vertical poles, etc. The 
first governing body of the " Central Police Athletic Association," 
which was elected at the meeting on November 9, 1880, consisted 
of a president and treasurer, a secretary, an assistant secretary 
and twelve directors. Captain John Lannan was chosen for the 
first two offices, lieutenant James H. Busick was elected secre- 
tary, and lieutenant William H. Frazer assistant secretary. 
The board of directors was as follows : sergeants William B. 
Rowe and D. P. McClelland, and patrolmen Thomas O'Brien, 
C. P. Chaney, H. Shoemack, J. A. Riley, J. Mitzbower, L. D. 
Cole, M. Dolan, F. J. Toner, B. Burns and C. H. Price. Since 
1880 the annual elections have been held in July of each year. 
Thus nearly three-fourths of the total membership of the associa- 
tion obtained office at the first election. This was apparently a wise 
step, for certainly no organization ever succeeded more signally 
from the start than this one. The members took a most lively 



OUR POLICE. 427 

interest in its welfare from the beginning. The social element of 
the association progressed as rapidly as the athletic element. 
There were chairs and tables in the gymnasium, and the men stopped 
a while after coming in from their patrols and enjoyed a friendly 
chat before going to their homes, or they arrived at the station 
a little earlier than the roll call, and looked over the New 
York illustrated and sporting papers which the association sub- 
scribed for. The drill-room gymnasium began to assume the 
aspect of a social club, the purposes of which it in fact answered. 

It was not long before the effect of the social intercourse began 
to show itself in the officers' personal appearance and in their 
deportment. As their gymnasium exercise made them healthful 
and good-natured, the springing up of the new fellowship and 
athletic rivalry seemed to brighten their wits and smooth the 
roughness of their manners, besides inciting them to observe more 
propriety about their dress. Finally Professor Kimball suggested 
that a public athletic exhibition might add considerably to the 
gymnasium fund and give the citizens some idea of the strength 
and agility of the members of the force. The suggestion met 
with prompt approval and rehearsals were begun. 

The first exhibition given by the association was at Ford's 
Opera House on July 16, 1883. The house was crowded from 
the orchestra to the last seat in the gallery. Among the specta- 
tors were the members of the police board, the city councilmen, 
nearly all the court officials of the city, and scores of the most 
prominent business and professional men. A large number of 
ladies were also present in bright toilets and made the occasion 
a most brilliant one. Judge William A. Fisher, State's Attorney 
Kerr, Mr. George Savage, who was then as now, Secretary of the 
Police Board, James A. L. McClure, Esq., President Colton, Mr. 
John Milroy, General James R. Herbert, and John S. Bullock, 
Clerk of the Criminal Court, occupied boxes. The various exer- 
cises were keenly appreciated, and the participants warmly 
applauded. The officers exerted themselves with an earnestness 
that won the admiration of the assembly. The citizens in the 
audience gave expression to their surprise and gratification upon 
witnessing the unexpected skill and prowess of their police protec- 



428 OUR POLICE. 

tors, by round after round of applause. The "wrestling matches 
were the features of the evening. In the match between officers 
Meehan and Spellman, the former won after a long and exciting 
struggle, in which almost every detail of the art of Grseco- 
Roman wrestling was brought more or less frequently into use. 
The Grceco-Roinan wrestling match between officers M. Dolan 
and L. D. Cole was quite as scientific as and possibly more 
exciting than the former. It was won at last by patrolman 
Dolan. Patrolman Thomas McGraw won a catch-as-catch-can 
over patrolman Emerine. The Doyle Brothers, John and 
William, electrified the audience by their collar and elbow wrest- 
ling. The contest ended in favor of William. Patrolmen 
Chaney and Kaufman caused great laughter by an amusing 
wrestling match. Chaney at that time tipped the beam at 249 
pounds. He was introduced as the " Oak of the Rhine." 
Kaufman, who weighed scarcely half as much as his opponent, 
was presented to the audience as the " Willow of the Patapsco." 
After a funny struggle Kaufman succeeded in throwing Chaney, 
after which the latter arose and taking the victor up under hi3 
arm walked off the stao;e with him amid roars of laughter an d 
applause from the audience. Patrolmen Brennan and Finnerty 
were the victors in the running high jump, each clearing the 
string at four feet and nine inches. Policeman John Doyle gave 
a hitch and kick jump of more than eight feet, and patrolman 
Finnerty vaulted eight feet and two inches. Astonishing and 
novel feats of strength were performed by policemen L. D. Cole, 
John Doyle, McCroey, and Hardesty. The entertainment closed 
with a tug-of-war between the fat men and the lean men. The 
latter won. After the exhibition the policemen enjoyed a banquet 
with music and speeches at Schaefer's on Eutaw street. Marshal 
Frey, then deputy-marshal, was the leading spirit in the concep- 
tion and management of this exhibition, in which he was aided 
by sergeants Toner and Reinhardt. 

The gymnasium at the Central station is at the present time 
the best equipped of the four now established. It occupies the 
entire upper floor of the building on North street near Lexington 
street, and is composed of two sections of about equal size, each 




L 




GO H 
S. O 




OUR POLICE. 433 

measuring forty feet wide by nearly forty-five feet long. When 
private exhibitions are given one of these sections is used as the 
auditorium and the other, in which all of the stationary parapher- 
nalia of the gymnasium is built, as the stage. Audiences of fully 
200 persons have frequently witnessed exhibitions in the hall. 
The front section of the gymnasium proper is lighted at night 
by three full sized Brush Company electric lights. As the visitor 
enters the apartment from the stairs the most prominent object 
that meets his eye is a large and handsome shield on the front 
wall, upon which is painted in great golden letters " The Central 
Police gymnasium, organized November 9, 1880, ' Ever on the 
Watch.' ' In the centre of the shield is a large round wooden 
placque upon which is a representation in wood carving of two 
gladiators engaged in mortal combat, and framing the placque a 
representation, also carved in wood, of the regulation patrolman's 
belt, upon which are inscribed the Latin legends " Semper 
Paratas" and "Semper Fideles," "Ever Ready" and "Ever 
Faithful." The wood carvings are excellent examples of this 
branch of sculpture, in which modern American artists lead the 
world. The shield was presented to the " Central Police Athletic 
Association" by Mr. John Con very on November 10, 1886. 
Ranged along the north wall of the gymnasium is a series of racks 
for Indian clubs, in which are more than a hundred clubs of all 
sizes, weights and shapes. In the north-east corner stands the 
large rowing machine which was erected by Professor Kimball 
during the time he was trainer. It is the most approved style 
of rowing machine and gives the actual oar motion. This is one 
of the most frequently used apparatus in the gymnasium. In 
front of it stands a machine for exercising the muscles of the 
back and neck. It is composed of a cap fitting over the back of 
the head and attached to weights of various sizes hung by cords 
over pulleys. Swaying the body backward brings the weight 
upon the muscles of the back and the rear of the neck, developing 
that strength which is so important in wrestling. In the same 
corner of the room is erected a pair of excellent parallel bars. 

At the west end of the gymnasium is the vaulting apparatus, 
with large mattresses and springing carpets. Hung upon the 



434 OUR POLICE. 

wall near by are four fencing foils. The ceilings being scarcely 
high enough for much trapezejwork, this part of the mens' train- 
ing has been necessarily neglected, but there is suspended from 
the ceiling a swinging turning-bar, a pair of turning-rings and 
a vertical pulling machine. One of the favorite apparatus, in the 
gymnasium is the "Tambourine" or " kicking gallows," for 
registering high kicking. This machine is merely a gallows- 
shaped frame, seven feet high, from which is suspended a drum- 
head which can be raised or lowered as desired. Professor 
Kimball recommended high kicking as one of the most valuable 
kinds of leg exercise, and the men of the Central station now 
number among them some of the best high-kickers in the coun- 
try. On the south side of the room are the vertical poles, the 
horizontal bars, the various climbing and high-jumping apparatus', 
hoops for hoop exercise, and a number of additional swinging 
clubs. A large and handsome revolving stand for dumb-bells, 
which the association purchased in 1885, is in the south-western 
part of the room. It contains thirty-six pairs of dumb-bells of 
all sizes and weights. Next to this are platform scales, by the 
aid of which the men in training are able to keep constant watch 
upon their physical condition. Lastly, but perhaps the largest 
and most interesting machine is the "rack," an instrument used 
for expanding the muscles of the chest. It resembles a quarter 
section of a large, wide wheel. The person using it throws him- 
self backwards upon the wheel, and reaching upwards over his 
head finds the handles of a pulling-machine. The proper action 
is to pull in a circular motion, with stiffened elbows, until the 
hands rest beside the thighs, and then allow the hands to return 
slowly to their original position. Of all the great quantity of 
paraphernalia in the gymnasium there is not a single piece not in 
regular use by one or more of the 170 members of the asso- 
ciation. 

By no means the least important feature of the establishment 
are the lavatories. In the "rubbing-down room" there is a 
large raised bath-tub, around which a dozen men at one time can 
stand and sponge themselves after exercising. Besides there are 
all the facilities for ordinary bathing, and a large proportion of 




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OUR POLICE. 437 

the men seek it in the gymnasium instead of at their homes. 
The rear section of the hall is fitted up more after the style of a 
social club. It contains a fine Brunswick and Balke pool-table, 
which the association purchased from the receipts of its first ex- 
hibition in Ford's Opera House. The table is one of the best 
styles manufactured, and cost with balls and cues about four 
hundred and fifty dollars. Some of the men are expert pool- 
players, and matches and tournaments are of frequent occur- 
rence. At the same time that the pool-table was purchased a 
small grand piano of the celebrated "Knabe" make was bought. 
In some respects this is the most important feature of the gym- 
nasium. A few of the policemen, particularly patrolmen Miles 
and Coffin, are good performers. There are several excellent 
voices in the squad and impromptu concerts often take place, 
lady visitors frequently adding to the enjoyment of meetings and 
exhibitions by playing. About the walls of the rooms are many 
handsome engravings of martial subjects, and photographs of 
prominent citizens and persons connected with police matters. 

A somewhat melancholy yet reassuring reminder of the riots 
through which the city has passed in other times is the provision 
that has been made for arming the police with rifles. In different 
parts of the gymnasium are three revolving gun-racks, each hold- 
ing thirty improved Springfield rifles, which are kept constantly 
in perfect order. It is to be hoped, however, that the day is far 
distant when the manual of arms, through which the men are 
periodically put, will be brought into practical use. 

The North-western District Gymnasium. 

Although the second station to organize an association for 
building and conducting a gymnasium for the use of its squad, it 
is claimed for the North-western district that it really had the 
first exercising hall belonging to the Baltimore Police Department. 

In the winter of 1874, Captain Earhart procured for the 
use of Lieutenant Watkins,. then recovering from a lone; and 
severe illness, a pair of Indian clubs and instructed him in the 
use of them. Captain Earhart was a skillful all-around athlete, 
and he has now the reputation of being the most athletic police 



1:38 OUR POLICE. 

captain in Baltimore. While Lieutenant Watkins was practicing 
under the Captain's tuition a number of the policemen became 
interested, and the project of getting up a club and starting a 
small gymnasium was suggested. The movement was by no 
means a general one, but a few of those particularly interested in 
athletic training joined, and contributed assessments into Captain 
Earhart's hands amounting to about twenty-five dollars. This 
was expended for Indian clubs, dumb-bells and a few other 
simple articles. At that time there was no part of the building 
set aside as a gymnasium, all the practicing done in the station 
taking place in whatever room was most convenient, the para- 
phernalia being gathered and put away in a box when the exer- 
cises ended. Many of the men procured Indian clubs and exer- 
cised at their homes. In fact club-swinging became quite the 
fashion for a number of years, and several first-class club-swing- 
ers were developed in the district. Meantime the reputation of 
Captain Earhart as an athlete rapidly grew. He met nearly 
every "professional" who came to Baltimore, and in many of 
his feats of strength defeated some of the most noted strong men of 
the country. The captain performed several feats with his heavy 
clubs that no other club-swinger has ever been known to accom- 
plish. In this primitive way those policemen who were interested 
in the subject continued to exercise and train themselves without 
any endeavors in the direction of a more extensive gymnasium 
being made. But in the latter part of 1881, seeing the success 
that had attended the gymnasium in the Central station, Captain 
Earhart started a scheme to build a similar establishment for his 
squad. He called several meetings of those he knew were inter- 
ested in athletics, and finally a plan was settled upon. The 
captain, lieutenants, and several policemen subscribed five dollars 
each to make a fund upon which to begin work, and the approval 
of the Police Commissioners having been secured, preparations 
were made for erecting the apparatus in the large drill-room on 
the third floor of the station. A few subscriptions to the build- 
ing fund were received from citizens, but the bulk of the total 
cost was paid out of the pockets of the policemen. All the join- 
ing work and painting was done by men connected with the 



OUR POLICE. 439 

squads. They turned the Indian clubs, erected the ladders, 
built all the stationary apparatus, and even made some of the 
mattresses. As many of the policemen had formerly been 
artisans, the work was of course done in a skillful manner. 
When all was finished it was found that the lumber, ropes, 
carpets, hair, and other materials used in outfitting the gymna- 
sium had cost nearly two thousand dollars. This was entirely 
exclusive of the labor expended, which was given by those who 
did the work. It was some time before all the bills were paid, 
but finally the twenty-five cents a fortnight which was collected 
from each member of the association, together with the proportion 
of the receipts from the Police Athletic Exhibition, amounted to 
enough to clear away the last of the debts. Since that time no 
dues have been collected from the men, the receipts from the 
annual exhibition being sufficient for all needs of the treasury. 

When completed, the gymnasium was thoroughly equipped 
with everything appertaining to the practical work of training 
the men. No instruction in fencing either with swords or with 
sticks seems ever to have been given in this district. Club- 
swinging under the tuition of Captain Earhart at first, and later 
under that of Lieutenant F. H. Scott, since transferred to the 
Western district, and still later under that of officer Ackerman, 
has always been the favorite style of athletic exercise among the 
men. 

The first meeting of the North-western Station Police Athletic 
Association was held on New Year's eve, 1881. The business 
accomplished is briefly described in a circular which was after- 
wards printed and now hangs framed in several parts of the 
gymnasium. The circular is as follows : 

"A gymnasium was organized at the North-western District Police Station, 
December 30, 1881, and the following members of the association were ap- 
pointed as a board of directors for the period of three months, for the purpose 
of conducting the business of the association, viz. : 

Captain George W. Earhart, Sergeants John A. Gr. Shultz, Frank J. Flan- 
nery, Officers William G. Scott, W. A. Harrigan, W. E. Lafferty, John Con- 
nery, James Hammond, Thomas McCormick. 

They organized by electing Captain George W. Earhart, president ; Sergeant 
John A. G. Shultz, secretary ; and Officer William G. Scott, treasurer. The 
following rules and regulations were adopted by the Board of Directors : 



440 OUR POLICE. 

Rule I. — Each member shall paj into the treasury the sum of twenty-five 
cents each pay day, for the general expenses of the association. 

Rule II. — The members of the Board of Police Commissioners, the Mar- 
shal, the Deputy-Marshal, and George Savage, Esq., Secretary of the Police 
Board, are appointed honorary members. 

Rule III. — No member shall handle any of the tools during the time that 
the instructor is instructing a member, or interfere wilh him. 

Rule IV. — Any member shall have the right to invite any one into the 
hall, but the member so inviting the visitor shall be responsible for his or 
their conduct while in the hall. 

Rule V. — Smoking in or spitting upon the floor of the hall will not be 
allowed, under a penalty of twenty-five cents. 

Rule YI. — The secretary shall collect the sum of twenty-five cents every 
two weeks or each pay day, from each member of the association, and pay the 
same over to the treasurer. 

Rule VII. — No member shall go upon the mattress with his heavy boots 
or shoes on. 

Rule VIII. — Any and all members of the police force of the Northwestern 
District are respectfully invited to become members of this association as early 
as they may deem proper, upon payment of one dollar and fifty cents initia- 
tion fee and the regular dues. 

Rule IX. — No member of the Northwestern District police force not a 
member of the association will be permitted in the hall unless on police 
business. 

Rule X. — The directors shall, with the approval of the Police Commis- 
sioners, convene at the Northwestern District police station to transact such 
business as will become necessary for the benefit of the association, the time 
to be regulated by the captain. 

Rule XI. — Each director shall act to the best of his ability to preserve 
order, and to see that the above rules and regulations are strictly carried out 
in the hall." 

Among the equipments of the gymnasium is an excellent set 
of double horizontal bars, the ones upon which officer Ackerman, 
whose skill in horizontal bar turning has repeatedly excited so 
much admiration at the police athletic exhibitions in Ford's 
Opera House, has done the principal part of his training. 
Another prominent feature of the establishment is the large hair 
wrestling mattress, for which about two hundred dollars was paid. 
It is sixteen feet square, and is covered with a handsome Axmin- 
ster mat of the same size, which cost one hundred and fifty 
dollars. There are six mattresses in all in the room, five of 
which are of hair. Wrestling is now studied by the men under the 




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1-3 — 



OUR POLICE. 441 

leadership of officer James Doyle. Lieutenant Scott, one of the 
finest wrestlers in Baltimore, was formerly the instructor. The 
Doyle brothers, James, John, and William, are undoubtedly the 
best wrestlers who have ever been on the police force. John 
and William were connected with the Central station, but John 
resigned in April, 1887, to challenge the great Japanese wrestler 
Matsada Sorakichi. He was obliged to resign in order to do 
this, as it is contrary to the rules of the department for a police- 
man to enter an athletic contest with a professional. In other 
branches of athletics, officer Ackerman is the leader of the North- 
western gymnasium. He was a member of a number of turning 
societies long before he was appointed to the police force. 

Along the walls of the gymnasium are the racks for dumb- 
bells, Indian clubs, wands, etc. Nearly one hundred sets of 
clubs of different sizes, many of them fancifully decorated, are 
ranged about the room. In one corner stands Captain Earhart's 
"museum," consisting of the material he bought in 1874 for the 
first athletic association connected with his squad. There are 
two enormous clubs weighing sixty pounds each, which the 
captain himself used, about half a dozen sets of smaller ones 
with which the other men practiced, and a number of heavy 
dumb-bells, one pair weighing sixty-four pounds. The contents 
of the "museum" are seldom used now, unless somebody wishes 
to try the heavy clubs — a thing which few are able to do with 
success. Seven pulling machines of various styles are built in 
different parts of the hall, and ladders, vertical bars, parallel 
bars, vaulting standards, wheel-racks for chest expansion, trapezes, 
and swinging rings all find their places among the paraphernalia. 
There are also a swinging sand-bag and a springing-ball for spar- 
ring practice. The gymnasium is lighted at night from the 
centre by a powerful incandescent light. The lavatories, which 
were set up, like the rest of the gymnasium, by members of the 
association, are on the floor below. There are two bath-rooms 
and a large dressing-room, with boxes for the men's clothing 
while they are exercising. The entrance to the gymnasium is 
through a handsomely-furnished little ante-room, the walls of 
which are decorated with a number of engravings and photo- 



442 OUR POLICE. 

graphs of prominent persons now or formerly connected with the 
police department. 

The most important work done in the line of athletics in the 
North-western district, however, is the drilling in the manual of 
arms. In this department Captain Earhart himself is the 
instructor, and his men have acquired a proficiency in all the 
tactics in Upton's manual, which distinguishes them beyond those 
of any other district in the city. They are also trained in the 
riot drill. These tactics have not yet been introduced in the 
other police districts, though instruction will doubtless be begun 
in them within a short time. The superiority of Captain Ear- 
hart's men over the rest of the Baltimore police in manual of 
arms drill has been acknowledged for some years. In 1883, on 
the occasion of the Oriole parade, the North-western squad won 
great applause from the citizens by their exhibition of manceuvering 
and were awarded a heavy silver punch-bowl for their skill. 
The men afterward voted to present the prize to their instructor, 
Captain Earhart. The captain now has the punch-bowl in his 
parlor. 

Captain Earhart, speaking of the advantages of gymnasium 
practice for policemen says : " Of course the primary object of 
such work as we do in athletics is to make the men lithe and 
muscular. To make a good policeman a man must be a good 
runner, a skillful wrestler and a man of powerful muscle and 
great endurance. Without these qualities an officer is little better 
than a walking uniform. Gymnasium practice, I contend, and I 
have preached this same doctrine as long as I have been connected 
with the police department, is the true secret of physical 
superiority in a police organization. I have never heard of any 
substitute for it, and I don't believe there is any. But another 
point that I have noticed is that besides making the men stronger 
and more active, muscularly, their exercise serves in a remarkable 
degree to quicken their understanding and sharpen their wits. 
Now a dull, stupid fellow could not possibly be a first-class 
wrestler or sparrer. I know of few things that require more 
rapid and logical thinking than sparring or wrestling with an 
expert. It has often been noticed when cases of outrageous 



OUR POLICE. 443 

clubbing on the part of policemen have been brought to the notice 
of the public that the clubber was either a weak or a stupid man, 
who resorted to his weapon to avoid personal injury to himself, a 
thing he would not have done if he had felt himself physically 
capable of managing his prisoner without the use of the club. 
In Baltimore, clubbing is rare, though there are occasions, of 
course, when the locust is absolutely necessary, but every one on 
my force has remarked how much less frequently the club has 
been called into requisition of late years than formerly. And I 
assure you nobody is more pleased at noticing this fact than the 
police themselves." 

The Eastern District Gymnasium. 

The Eastern district police station was the third in which a 
gymnasium was established. Soon after the athletic associations 
in the Central and the North-western districts were organized, 
the Eastern district men began discussing the establishment of a 
similar institution in their station. There were several athletes 
of no mean ability in the squad, and Captain Benjamin F. 
Kenney, who died during the following year, was himself a great 
lover of athletic sports. The Eastern station-house was some- 
what smaller than the more modern buildings in the other 
districts, yet the drill-room on the second floor was large enough 
for such a gymnasium as the men had in view. Finally, the 
approval of the Police Commissioners having been secured, 
Captain Kenney called the men together on the evening of August 
4, 1882, and laid before them a plan of action similar to that 
which had been followed by Captains Lannan and Earhart. The 
men gave their approval to Captain Kenney' s plan at once, and 
a discussion followed as to the scope of the association and the 
extent of the gymnasium's objects. Some of the men wished 
the association to assume the proportions of a social club, with 
apartments outside of the station, which would include billiard 
and card rooms, library, etc.; while others were in favor of going 
no further than to purchase a few dumb-bells and Indian clubs. 
The majority thought it best to rely upon the successful experi- 
ence of the other two gymnasiums then in operation, and to 



444 OUR POLICE. 

erect one similar to those. A second meeting was held on the 
evening of August 9, at which a permanent organization was 
effected under the name of the "Eastern District Police Athletic 
Club." Officers were elected and a set of by-laws under the 
title of '-Rules and Regulations" was adopted. Nearly every 
man of the 100 or thereabouts in the squad was present either 
personally or by proxy, and paid in his initiation fee of $1.50 to 
Captain Kenney, who was elected president and treasurer. The 
secretary's report of the first meetings of the club was ordered 
to be printed. This report embraced the rules and regulations. 
It was printed in the form of a large circular, and a number of 
copies were framed and hung up in various parts of the gymna- 
sium for the guidance of the men. The report was as follows : 

THE EASTERN DISTRICT POLICE ATHLETIC CLUB. 

An athletic association was organized at the Eastern police station on the 
evening of August 4, 1882, and on the 9th day of August, 1882, appointed 
the following members of the association as a Board of Directors for the 
period of sixth months, for the purpose of conducting the business of the 
association, viz. : Captain Benjamin F. Kenney, Chairman {ex-officio) ; Ser- 
geants J. Andrew Roycroft and Henry Paole ; officers William H. Bishop, 
Jacob Manister, Peter W. Nelson and J. W. W. Taylor. 

They convened and organized by calling Captain Benjamin F. Kenney to- 
the chair, to act as president and treasurer of the association, and Lieutenants 
Benjamin F. Auld and William R. Johnson, vice presidents ; and officer W. 
Francis Beall, secretary. The following rules and regulations were adopted 
by the club : 

Rules and Regulations. 

First. Professor William Spohr is appointed instructor and teacher for the 
association. 

Second. That each member of the association pay into the treasury the sum 
of $1.50 as the initiation fee and 25 cents each pay-day, or every two weeks, for 
the general expenses of the association, which includes the tuition fee for the 
instruction of the members. 

Third. That the members of the Board of Police Commissioners, the Mar- 
shal and Deputy-Marshal, and George Savage, Esq., are appointed honorary 
members of the association. 

Fourth. That no member shall handle any of the tools during the time that 
the instructor is instructing a member, to interfere with him. 

Fifth. That any member who may leave the police force of the Eastern 
District shall have returned to him the sum of §1.50, the initiation fee, for 
which he shall relinquish all claims against the association. 



OUR POLICE. 445 

Sixth. That any member shall have the right to invite any one into the hall, 
but the member so inviting the visitor shall be responsible for his or their 
conduct while in the hall. 

Seventh. That smoking or chewing in, or spitting on, the floor of the hall 
will not be allowed. 

Eighth. That each sergeant shall collect the sum of 25 cents every two 
weeks, or each pay-day, from each member of his squad who shall be a mem- 
ber of the association, and pay the same over to the treasurer. 

Ninth. That no member shall get upon the mattress with heavy boots or 
shoes on. 

Tenth. That all and any of the members of the police force of the Eastern 
District are respectfully invited to become members of this association as 
early as they may deem proper by the payment of the initiation fee. 

Eleventh. That no member of the Eastern District police force, who does 
not belong to the association, will be permitted in the hall unless on police 
business. 

Twelfth. That the directors shall, with the approval of the Board of Police 
Commissioners, convene at the Eastern police station to transact such business 
as will become necessary for the benefit of the association, the time to be 
regulated by the captain. 

Thirteenth. That no person will be allowed into the hall during the time of 
the regular practice, which is on Tuesday mornings, Tuesday nights, Friday 
mornings and Friday nights, unless he is a relative of a member. 

Fourteenth. That no person will be allowed to practice on the regular prac- 
ticing nights except the members. 

Fifteenth, That the directors will act to the best of their ability to preserve 
order, and to see that the above rules and regulations are strictly carried out 
in the hall. 

Work was immediately begun. The drill-room "was cleared and 
newly painted, and a large quantity of lumber and other mate- 
rials was purchased with the $150 received by the treasurer from 
the initiation fees. In the squad were two or three good carpen- 
ters, and they at once began erecting benches, etc., in the hall 
upon which to work while making the various paraphernalia. At 
first they gave their own time after coming in from duty, but the 
attention of the Police Commissioners having been called to the 
situation, the men were afterward put upon the work as a regular 
detail, subject to call at anytime to more important police duty. 
It was about two months before their work was finished. The 
funds at their command were not so larsje as those with which 
the two other gymnasiums had been erected, and they were not 
able to do quite so much as had been done in the Central and the 



446 OUR POLICE. 

North-western. Yet they built a gymnasium suitable for all prac- 
tical needs at the time. 

As soon as it was ready for use, classes were formed for gym- 
nastic training under the direction of Professor William Spohr, 
a competent and enthusiastic athlete who was employed for that 
purpose by the club. Under Professor Spohr's tuition the men 
made rapid progress, and in the exhibitions of the Police Athletic 
Associations the following year some of the most interesting 
contests were won by men from the Eastern district. After some 
months the club felt able to dispense with Professor Spohr's 
services. This expense being removed, money soon accumulated 
in the treasurer's hands, until it was deemed advisable to suspend 
the collection of dues. In the summer of 1885 the use of police 
patrol-wagons having been decided upon by the Board of Com- 
missioners, a three story stable was erected at the side of the sta- 
tion. The latter building was but two stories high and it was 
afterward determined to make the two symmetrical by adding one 
story to the station. This work was finished in the latter part of 
1886. The upper story thus added to the station formed a large 
hall, fifty by thirty-eight feet, which dimensions were considerably 
larger than the hall below, in which the gymnasium was built. It 
was lighted on three sides by twelve large windows, one of which, 
in the front of the building, was a triple window, glazed hand- 
somely with stained glass. As there was much dissatisfaction 
with the old athletic apparatus, it was determined to erect a new 
gymnasium in the new hall. The work has recently been 
completed. It has been done by members of the police force 
who were assigned by the Commissioners to that duty. One 
man turned more than one hundred and seventy-five Indian 
clubs of all sizes and all the approved shapes, and made the hand- 
some and convenient racks for them that now ornament the walls 
on one side of the hall. The centre rack is composed of two 
wings, each containing fifty clubs. Between the wings of the 
rack is a tall mirror. Another rack at one side holds seventy-two 
clubs, and still another is built for ten clubs of the heaviest sizes. 
The painting of the clubs and other paraphernalia in the gym- 
nasium was done by officer Scherer of the North-eastern, the same 



OUR POLICE. 447 

who did the admirable work in the gymnasium of his own station. 
The club racks are also arranged to hold the dumb-bells, of which 
there are more than one hundred pairs. They are mostly of two 
or three pounds weight, but the assortment includes a number of 
heavier pairs, running up to twenty-eight pounds each. One 
feature of the new Eastern gymnasium that is not found in any 
other station is the wrist exercising machine. This is composed 
of a roller, graduated as to circumference, set horizontally about 
three feet from the floor. The exercise consists in rapidly turning 
this roller and winding up a weighted cord which is attached to 
one end of it. The weight may be regulated at will and as many 
as three men at a time can use it. There are also nine pulling 
machines of various styles, two of them being for nock and 
shoulder exercise and two for ankle and leg exercise. The latter 
are designed with canvas pantones or heel-less slippers attached 
to the pulling cords. The exercise consists of a walking motion 
against which the weights pull. The effect is very similar to that 
experienced in walking through a shallow stream against a pow- 
erful current, and it develops the muscles used in vaulting and 
jumping. Six new swinging rings covered with leather are hung 
from the ceiling, as are also the trapeze and the turning rings 
from the old gymnasium. The same parallel bars that were used 
before have been brought up to the new hall, but instead of being 
fixed to the floor as formerly they are now built upon a portable 
platform. The same excellent set of ladders, the kicking gallows, 
and the single horizontal bar used down stairs have been brought 
up. A new set of double bars has been added to the collection, 
and new vertical bars have been built, the old ones not being long 
enough to reach the higher ceiling of the new hall. Insets have 
been built for the old tug-of-war braces upon which the Eastern 
men did so much good work in their old quarters. There are five 
new mattresses, of which three are of hair, and the old and excel- 
lent hair wrestling mattress which cost $175 in 1883. As 
completed the Eastern gymnasium is perhaps the most exten- 
sive as well as the handsomest of the four in operation. Con- 
nected with the athletic club is a base-ball nine, which plays ar 
stated intervals and occasionally arranges an interesting match 



448 OUR POLICE. 

with a nine from some other district. These games are always 
well played and never fail to attract a large audience of base-ball 
enthusiasts. 

Captain Auld, who since Captain Kenney's death on Septem- 
ber 29, 1883, has been in command of the Eastern district, is a 
leading spirit in athletics among his men. Speaking of the ad- 
vantages of this training of the police, he said: "The change in 
the character and the deportment of the officers in this precinct 
since the introduction of a gymnasium has been most marked and 
gratifying. Those who exercised at first all remarked how much 
better they felt physically than before ; and in a short time the 
increase in their strength and agility, as evidenced by the feats 
they became able to perform, was something marvelous. Now, 
the value of such results to a police force cannot but be evident, 
and they are especially valuable in this district, which covers 
some of the roughest quarters of the city. In this district more 
arrests are made than in any other in Baltimore, and generally 
the prisoners are of a rougher and more muscular class. Many 
an arrest is made now where previous to the introduction of the 
gymnasium the criminal, by his greater strength or fleetness or 
staying powers, might have escaped. Another and all import- 
ant advantage gained, too, is the fact that the officers, having 
learned how to handle rebellious prisoners skillfully, rarely use 
their clubs, and complaints of violent clubbing are now very 
rare. To their gymnasium exercise the men owe not only their 
greater strength, fleetness, and endurance, but their increased 
self-reliance and self-respect." 

The North-eastern Gymnasium. 

The most attractive of the four police gymnasiums is said to be 
that of the North-eastern Police Athletic Association, in the station 
in Chew street near Broadway. The hall is not so large as those 
occupied by the other associations, measuring as it does about fifty 
feet by thirty-five feet ; but as there are only eighty-three men 
connected with the North-eastern district (and every one is a 
member of the association), no inconvenience has ever been ex- 
perienced by reason of limited room. In the autumn of 1884 



OUR POLICE. 449 

Captain Philip J. Barber of the North-eastern station under- 
took to establish a gymnasium like those of the Central and the 
North-western stations. He was cordially supported in his en- 
deavors by the Police Commissioners and by the Marshal and 
Deputy-marshal. Nevertheless it required some time to get all 
the men interested in the enterprise, and the latter end of the 
following winter arrived before material progress was made. It 
was then that the drill-room on the third floor of the building 
was set apart by the Police Commissioners for a gymnasium, and 
work was actually begun. All the men who joined the asso- 
ciation paid to Captain Barber various assessments, amounting to 
about eleven dollars each. Three months were consumed in com- 
pleting the arrangements after the plans were drawn up. Most 
of the labor was performed by men belonging to the squad. 
Much of the material, such as lumber, iron, and lead was con- 
tributed by merchants of Baltimore interested in police progress, 
and the remainder was bought. Mr. J. Regester presented nearly 
all the piping used in the water connections, and Mr. Henry 
McShane, the bell-founder, gave some brass and bronze cast- 
ings. The large mattrass cost more than $300. It contains 
about 400 pounds of hair, for which fifty cents per pound was 
paid. The remainder of the cost was for the labor in the 
making, which the policemen themselves were unable to do. 
The covering of rings and other iron work with canvas and 
leather was also done outside ; but beyond this scarcely a dollar 
was paid for work upon the gymnasium. 

On May 19, 1885, the first meeting of the organizers of the 
gymnasium was held in the station and the following officers 
elected to serve one year : President, Captain Philip J. Barber ; 
vice-president, Lieutenant Daniel Shettle ; treasurer, James D. 
Carroll ; and secretary, patrolman A. P. Caldwell. The follow- 
ing directors were chosen for the same period : Sergeants Thomas 
H. Hogan, Henry Mittendorf, F. S. Crate, William J. Carrick, 
Augustus Chaillou; J. N. Winchester and George W. Schafer, 
and patrolmen B. S. Wellener, Jr. Shadrack Street, George II. 
Tienken, John N. Ford, and Henry C. Jones. At the same 
meeting the Police Commissioners, the marshal and deputy-mar- 



450 OUR POLICE. 

shal of Baltimore were elected honorary members of the associa- 
tion. Some practising was done in the gymnasium before it was 
finished, but the public was not invited to inspect it until the 
beginning of May, 1885. When completed, the hall was one of 
the handsomest and most thoroughly equipped in the State. It 
contained many improvements that its older competitors, the 
gymnasiums of the North-western, the Eastern, and the Central 
stations, did not have, and with its brightly painted paraphernalia, 
its polished floor and its handsomely decorated walls it presented a 
charmingly neat appearance. The racks along the walls con- 
tained row after row of gaily colored Indian clubs of every size 
from two to ten pounds. Some of these one hundred and fifty 
clubs were handsomely painted in various geometrical designs, 
and others were polished and varnished. 

Hung on convenient racks were fifty pairs of brightly painted 
or polished dumb-bells, weighing from two pounds up to eighty 
per pair. Guyed securely in one part of the room was a set 
of horizontal bars, with a thick felt mattress under them to 
protect athletes from injury in case of falls. The same pre- 
caution was observed wherever there might be any danger from 
falling against the hard floor of the room. From the ceiling 
hung a row of six leather-covered swinging rings, two trapezes, 
and a pair of trapeze rings. Eive pulling machines of different 
styles were ranged about the walls. One piece of furnishing in 
neither the Central nor the Eastern gymnasium was a lifting 
machine. Rows of boxing gloves, a springing ball, and other 
paraphernalia of sparring practice indicated that the men were 
prepared to learn the art of self-defense. Attachable to the floor 
were four sets of tug-of-war braces, and a large vaulting and 
turning standard was built from the floor to the ceiling. Direc- 
tions for training were posted, some of the most important of 
them being marked for special observation. Vertical and hori- 
zontal ladders, primary features in every gymnasium, wands, 
liurdle-gauges, and every other equipment of a first-class gymna- 
sium found a place in the hall. The most costly single article 
now in the hall is the large Avrestling mattress already referred to. 
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OUR POLICE. 453 

and is regarded as one of the finest in the country. It is covered 
with heavy canvas, and when not in use is kept encased in a 
large linen cover. There are nine windows on three sides of the 
gymnasium, making it light and airy. At night five brilliant gas- 
jet reflectors light up every corner of the room. It is in the 
evening that instruction in gymnastics is given. After exercising, 
the men enter the lavatories, which are commodious and comfort- 
able. The bath for " rubbing-down " is similar to that at the 
Central station, being set in the centre of the bath-room and 
raised considerably above the floor level. Each of the eighty- 
three men in the athletic association has a separate locker in the 
dressing-room for his clothing. Every locker is fitted with a 
Yale lock and no two keys open the same door. 

When the gymnasium was started the members were assessed 
twenty-five cents a fortnight to pay the running expenses. In 
about two years, however, the expenses grew so small that the 
pro rata share which the North-eastern Association received of 
the receipts from the annual police athletic exhibition at Ford's 
Opera House sufficed to pay them. At the time mentioned, a 
resolution was passed suspending the collection of dues, and no 
assessments of any kind have since been paid by the men. In 
November, 1885, a fine pool table was purchased by the associa- 
tion and placed in a room adjoining the gymnasium. It is now 
a popular source of amusement among the men. Previously to the 
introduction of this table, pool playing was almost prohibited to the 
policemen, because most of it occurs in saloons. It is considered 
a breach of police propriety for officers to frequent liquor stores. 
After the gymnasium had been in running order for some time, 
a great necessity was felt for some competent regular instructor 
to direct the classes and to give individual instruction to such 
members as desired to do special work. The matter was laid 
before the Police Commissioners, and after some deliberation 
the board detailed patrolman Spellman of the Central station, 
one of the best all-around athletes on the police force, to do in- 
structor's duty at the North-eastern station. Mr. Spellman was 
transferred on July 23, 1885. He at once entered upon his work 
with an earnestness and ability that proved the wisdom of his 



454 OUR POLICE. 

appointment. In a few weeks the men under his tuition showed 
remarkable progress, and at the police athletic exhibition the fol- 
lowing year some of the most vigorous applause of the evening 
was won by the North-eastern squad. Instructor Spellman's spe- 
cialties are wrestling and sparring, but he is also skillful in all 
other branches. He appreciates the importance of practical 
work, however, and his endeavors are principally directed toward 
those kinds of athletics that seem most likely to prove of advan- 
tage to a policeman if he should be called upon to put his knowl- 
edge to practical use while on duty. Recently the instructor 
posted an address to the men containing some valuable hints about 
the use of police gymnasiums. He says : 

More attention should be given to wrestling and sparring, the two tactics 
mostly required in the arrest of unruly law breakers by the officers. It is much 
safer and less brutal to fell a man with the fist than by the use of a stout locust 
club. To know how to swing on the point of a man's jaw with the fist and 
thus 'put him to sleep,' as they say in the prize-ring, until the hand-cuffs can 
be put on him, is a most important thing, because that is not only the most 
effective, but a less dangerous method of capture than by the use of the club. 
If the officers practice enough among themselves with the gloves, they will 
know exactly how hard and where to hit. Fortunately, Baltimore is so well 
regulated by the laws and the police force that the officers do not have occasion 
to practice much on its unruly citizens ; hence the necessity of learning among 
themselves, so as to be in trim when occasions do occur. 

In an address which occupies three sheets of foolscap paper, 
closely written, and is posted in a prominent position in the 
gymnasium, are many suggestions about wrestling with prisoners, 
avoiding knife-thrusts, blows from brass knuckles, etc. During 
the exercises by classes the strictest discipline is preserved in the 
gymnasium. Certain rules and regulations for the members of 
the association were drawn up by the board of directors shortly 
after Mr. Spellman was detailed to his present duties. They 
were printed in large characters and several copies were framed 
and hung about the hall, as follows : 

NORTH-EASTERN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION. 
Rules and Regulations. 
I. Officer John J. Spellman is appointed instructor for the association, and 
must be respected and obeyed by all members of the association while practi- 
cing: in the hall. 



OUR POLICE. 45^J 

II. No member shall handle any of the equipments during the time the 
instructor is giving instruction, except such as he may direct. 

III. No member shall enter the hall to practice with his boots or shoes on. 
A fine of 25 cents will be imposed on all members violating this rule. 

IV. Any member shall have the privilege of inviting friends into the hall, 
but he will be held responsible for their conduct while in the hall. 

V. No person will be allowed to smoke in the hall or spit on the floor. 
Members violating this rule will be fined 25 cents. Visitors will be repri- 
manded by the instructor. 

VI. No person will be allowed to enter the hall during regular business 
hours except members, unless specially invited by a member with the consent 
of the President. 

VII. No person will be allowed to practice or handle any of the equipments 
except members of the association without the consent of at least three 
directors. 

VIII. Each director will, to the best of his ability, see that these rules are 
strictly complied with. 

As adjuncts to the gymnasiums, base-ball nines were organized 
in the several districts. In 1882 the Central district formed a 
nine under the leadership of officer P. Brennan. Shortly after- 
wards the nine of the Eastern district was organized by Officer 
David Edwards. These nines played against each other during 
the remainder of the season of 1882. At the opening of the 
season of 1883, officer Thomas Knox organized the nine of the 
Southern district. Later sergeant F. H. Scott formed a club in 
the North-western district. The different organizations comprised 
some excellent players and a number of games took place of which 
no record was kept, although a great majority were won by the 
Central district nine. 

During the next season (1884) the nines as constituted played 
a series of games, some of which were very interesting, the 
Central and Eastern district clubs making their headquarters at 
the Union base ball park, the North-western at the Monumental 
base ball park, and the Southern at Stowman's base ball park. 
The series resulted in the Central again winning the champion- 
ship, with the North-western second and the Eastern and Southern 
in the order named. At the close of this season a most interesting 
game was played at Union park, between the regular nine of the 
Central district and a picked nine composed of players from 
nines of the Eastern and North-western districts. After a sharp 



456 OUR POLICE. 

contest, in the presence of the Board of Commissioners and a 
large number of spectators invited to witness the game, the 
Central district won ; score 10 to 9. Umpire, Capt. Cadwallader. 

Early in the season of 1885 the nine representing the North- 
eastern district was organized by officer John Spellman, and in 
a short time developed strong playing, pressing the Central hard 
for first honors, but throughout this season there was much less 
interest manifested than previously and there was no regular 
schedule of games played. This was also the case during the 
season of 1886, and during 1887 there was very little playing 
done. 

The running expenses of the four gymnasiums now in operation 
are as a rule sufficiently met by the receipts from the annual 
athletic exhibitions given by the police at Ford's Opera House. 
These exhibitions have increased each year in excellence, and 
they have grown to be occasions that are looked forward to not 
only by the members of the police force but by a large portion of 
the citizens of Baltimore. 

The fifth and most recent exhibition given by the police athletes 
previously to the publication of this work was presented on 
Tuesday evening, May 14, 1887. The entertainment took place 
as usual in the Opera House. An unusually large number of 
tickets were sold and the great theatre was crowded from the 
orchestra to the gallery. Among the audience were many promi- 
nent business and professional men. Messrs. Schryver, Robson 
and Carr of the Board of Police Commissioners, together with 
ex-Commissioners Colton, Fusselbaugh, Major Ferguson, and 
John W. Davis were in the right hand lower proscenium box. 

The programme of events was long and was carried out, 
especially toward the latter end of the exhibition, amid a running 
storm of applause. As the evening wore on the dignity of the 
occasion bent beneath the general spirit of jollity. Personalities 
of a good natured sort came down from the galleries at frequent 
intervals. Voices from the audience shouted cheers to the con- 
testants on the stage, and approving exclamations echoed thick 
and fast through the hall during the exciting portions of the two- 
handed contests. Enthusiasm and good humor were the order of 



OUR POLICE. 459 

the hour, and it would be difficult to imagine a more generally 
"at home" audience anywhere than that which packed Ford's 
Opera House from skylight to stage on the evening of the 
eighteenth of May. 

While the people were still crowding past the ticket takers the 
entertainment opened with an exhibition of graceful and sur- 
prisingly skillful Indian club swinging by the large class in 
that form of exercise. This was followed by Graeco-Roman 
wrestling match between officers Brennan and Lutts, in which 
the former was victorious, after a severe struggle. Officer Mc- 
Graw then won against officer Dempsey at sparring, and an 
exhibition of vaulting and jumping took place in which Sergeant 
Wellener, and officers Brennan, Lutts, Finnerty, William Doyle, 
Webster, Carey, James Doyle, Dempsey, Ryan, Emery, Busick, 
J. Welsh, M. Welsh and Spellman participated. Next came 
another Graeco-Roman wrestling match, this time between officers 
William Doyle and L. D. Cole. Doyle won prettily but by no 
means easily. There was a sparring exhibition between officers 
Crawford and Carey and then a " catch-as-catch-can " struggle 
between officers Busick and John Doyle, which after an interest- 
ing battle ended in favor of Doyle. Sergeant Meehan and 
officer Spellman followed with a Grseco-Roman wrestling match. 
Both are heavy men and good wrestlers. Spellman won the first 
fall and in trying to get sergeant Meehan over on the second 
bout by a "half Nelson and arm hold," he sprained the latter's 
arm so badly that Dr. P. Bryson Wood, who was in the audi- 
ence, was summoned to look after the injury. Officer Carey 
then outdid officer M. Welsh in sparring for points, and officers 
Kiggins and J. Welsh gave an exhibition of some remarkable 
feats of strength, and officers Ackerman, of the North-eastern 
district, Ryan and William Doyle performed on the horizontal 
bar. Officer Ackerman was as good as, if not better, than 
most professional workers on the bars. The way Ackerman 
brushes his hair and makes his bow and looks after the guy ropes, 
makes one think he must have faced an audience many a time. 

Officers Ryan, William Doyle, Emerine, Johnson, Costello and 
C. P. Chaney gave " exhibitions of strength " which seemed also to 



460 OUR POLICE. 

be exhibitions of skill, and were almost startling. William Doyle, 
after a very long collar and elbow wrestling match with his 
brother, James Doyle, succeeded in touching the latter's shoulders 
to the mattress. Then officer Costello showed that he could spar 
better for points than officer Grau, immediately after which he 
wrestled a catch-as-catch-can match with officer Johnson. Next 
to the closing exhibition, before the wind-up bouts in wrestling 
and sparring, was the pyramid exercise, in which the following 
policemen took part : Messrs. sergeant Meehan, whose arm still 
hurt him but which had grown considerably better, sergeant 
Wellener, and officers Chaney, Emerine, Spellman, James and 
William Doyle, Lutts, Brennan, Ackerman, Carey, Grau, Ryan, 
M. Welsh, Kiggins, Johnson and Costello. Some of these 
athletes at once entered the tug-of-war between the Central and 
the North-eastern districts which followed. The sides were 
composed as follows: Central — Finnerty, Emerine, Whittle and 
Busick; North-eastern — Johnson, Emery, Webster and Campbell. 
This was the last event on the programme and it ended in the 
triumph of the boys from the North-eastern district. In the 
course of the entertainment an intermission was taken during 
which the orchestra played a newly composed symphony, per- 
formed for the first time on that evening in honor of the occasion. 
The general result of the introduction of gymnasiums for the 
use of the Baltimore police may be summed up in the words of 
Deputy -marshal Lannan : " The competency of a police officer," 
says that veteran, "is often measured by the rarity with which 
he uses his club. To a limited extent this is a very good test, 
and reckoned by it I may say that in those districts in which the 
gymnasiums have been in use, the policemen have improved 
greatly since their establishment. In many precincts clubbing 
is practically done away with, for when an officer is sure he can 
hold his man he will rarely draw his club, and there are very few 
prisoners who can give much trouble to a policeman who has 
wrestled with such instructors as officer Spellman, lieutenant 
Scott or the Doyle brothers. It is interesting to notice the dif- 
ference in the broadness and straig-htness of the shoulders and 
the expanse of chest between the squads marching out of gym- 



OUR POLICE. 461 

nasium stations and those coming from the stations in which no 
gymnasiums have yet been established. The police force of Bal- 
timore as a whole will not reach its highest perfection until after 
a gymnasium has been established in every district." 



462 OUR POLICE. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE PATROL-WAGON SYSTEM. — THE TELEPHONE AND ALARM 
TELEGRAPH. — MR. COLTON'S AND MARSHAL GRAY'S TRIP TO 
CHICAGO. — ADVANTAGES OF THE SYSTEM. — THE HARBOR 
PATROL. — ITS WORK AND THE RESULTS OF IT. — POLICE CHARI- 
TIES AND THE NOBLE WORK OF THE MEMBERS OF THE 
FORCE. — THE LIFE INSURANCE ASSOCIATION. 

Among all the recent improvements to the police service, none 
has proved more eminently satisfactory than the system of police 
patrol- wagons. This invention was first used in Chicago, where 
a short time ago at the anarchist riots it was so useful in en- 
abling the force to quell the disturbances. Its earliest advocate 
in this city was Marshal Frey, then deputy-marshal under 
Marshal Gray. The deputy-marshal was perusing one of the 
New York illustrated newspapers in the gymnasium of the Cen- 
tral station, where an assortment of that style of literature is 
kept on file, when he came across an article describing the new 
idea then being experimented upon in Chicago. To Mr. Frey, 
who in his experience often had his struggles with refractory 
prisoners, the invention seemed one of the greatest practical 
value. He at once took the paper before the police board and 
exhibited the article, recommending that such a system be estab- 
lished in Baltimore at the earliest possible date. Nothing was 
done in the premises at the time, however, by the Commissioners. 
A few weeks later Mr. Frey again mentioned the subject, and a 
little interest was awakened. At last, after more than a year, 
the Police Commissioners caused a bill to be drafted and sent 
to the Legislature, authorizing and requiring them to provide 
the City of Baltimore with a suitable telephone, alarm, and 
patrol-wagon service, and with a Harbor patrol steam launch 
and appliances, and permitting them to pay out of the special 
fund in their hands "for the construction, equipment, and main- 
tenance of such telephone, alarm, and patrol-wagon service, 
and Harbor patrol vessel and appliances." 



OUR POLICE. 463 

The Legislature having failed to act upon the bill drawn up 
for its consideration providing a patrol-wagon and a harbor police 
system, the commissioners acted upon their right to make use of 
the special fund, and upon their own responsibility deputed Marshal 
Gray and Commissioner Colton to visit Chicago and inspect the 
practical working of the system in that city. Alarms were 
sounded for their especial benefit and a number of trial turn-outs 
were made. President Colton was charmed and Marshal Gray 
saw but one disadvantage in the system : that was the putting of 
the electric stations inside of little round houses, something like 
the old watch-houses. This put the policeman to the necessity 
either of bringing his prisoner into the house with him, which 
there was scarcely room to do, or of holding him with one hand 
at arm's length outside of the door while he operated the instru- 
ment inside the house with the other hand, thus giving a refrac- 
tory prisoner an excellent opportunity to break away. But on 
returning to Baltimore the marshal and Mr. James F. Morrison, 
the agent for the Gamewell Fire and Police Alarm Company, 
put their heads together and invented the boxes now used in this 
city and attached to telegraph poles and to other places easy 
of access from the open street. 

The board contracted with the Southern Electric Company, 
agents for the Gamewell system, for the erection of its circuits 
in the Central district, and ordered from the National Vehicle 
Company of Racine, Wisconsin, a patrol-wagon similar to those 
used in Chicago. These vehicles are models of convenience and 
adaptability for the service. They combine lightness with 
strength, are conspicuous by their black body and bright red 
running gear, and are tastefully marked and numbered by their 
district location. A high seat furnishes room for the driver and 
two men, while the seats, placed lengthwise in the vehicle, accom- 
modate a dozen more. An alarm gong is used to give warning 
of their approach and secure their right of way in answering calls. 
Under the seats are compartments for hand-cuffs, ropes, canvas 
stretcher, jumping canvas for fires, surgical instruments, banda- 
ges, tourniquets, stimulants and other articles, whilst a fire- 
extinguisher and hand-grenades are ready for incipient fires. 



464 OUR POLICE. 

The stretcher is an ingenious arrangement. When not in use 
it is rolled up on the poles and placed in one of the compartments 
under the seat. When required for use the stretcher is drawn 
out through a small door at the end of the wagon, and four 
spring-hooks which accompany it are fitted in their places — two 
on each side of the wagon. Into these hooks the poles of the 
stretcher are placed, and the canvas hangs between the seats of 
the wagon without jolting. The stretcher can be lifted from the 
wagon and carried out without disturbing the patient. For vio- 
lent prisoners there are rings in the floor of the wagon, to which 
the belligerent party can be tied down and secured. 

The orders were given in the early summer of 1885, but so 
many months were consumed in filling them that it was not until 
October 25 following that the system was established. The circuit 
of alarms is arranged as follows : At fifty-nine points within the 
Central district, boxes are placed attached to telegraph poles, or 
other convenient objects. Each box is connected by wire with the 
Central station. The box is a small iron case with a door and lock 
inside of which is the automatic signal instrument, by means of 
which a key-holder, by pulling down a hook or lever which pro- 
trudes from the side of the case, can signal the police station and 
call for aid. None but officers are in possession of keys to the 
boxes, which contain in addition to the signal apparatus a 
telephone and transmitter. The batteries used are the kind 
known as "gravity batteries." They are very steady and require 
but little care. A patrolman on opening the box can immedi- 
ately transmit a special signal, which will inform the officer on 
duty at the police station of his presence. The telephone can 
then be used for the transmission of orders from headquarters to 
the patrolman, or by the patrolman to indicate whatever may be 
his wants or suspicions. In the station an officer is kept con- 
stantly on duty night and day at the receiving instruments to 
take messages from the various posts in the district. When the 
instrument moves it makes a rattling noise, and the number of 
the box or station from which the alarm is sent is indicated auto- 
matically upon a paper ribbon by the dot and dash method. If 
the patrol-wagon is wanted the number of the box alone is trans- 




POLICE PATROL SIGNAL BOX, 
As it appears on the pole. 




George W. Miles. 
OFFICER. SIGNALING CENTRAL STATION. 



OUR POLICE. 469 

mitted, but if the policeman on post simply desires to converse 
with the officer at the station a long dash follows the number 
shown on the ribbon. It may be that the policeman is ill and 
wants to be relieved, or he may wish to send some message con- 
cerning his duties to the station. When the ribbon indicates 
that the person who rang the alarm is desirous of conversing, the 
officer in charge puts the transmitter to his ear and the usual 
a hello" dialogue of the ordinary telephone follows. 

When the patrol-wagon is called for, the officer in the station 
touches an instrument which rings a gong in the patrol-wagon 
house opposite. The use of this building in the Central district 
is only a temporary expedient. It was formerly a private livery 
stable and was rented by the police department to accommodate 
the Central district patrol service until a suitable building could 
be erected by the department for the purpose. The same elec- 
tric current which rings the gong in the patrol house lights the 
gas in the stable and opens the stalls of the horses. The trained 
animals trot out to their places at the pole ; the officers on duty 
rush to their places ; the patent harness, similar to the kind used 
by fire companies, drops over the horses and is fastened by 
clasps ; the driver jumps to his seat, and grasping the reins with 
one Tiand pulls a rope hanging from the ceiling with the other, 
the doors* of the stable spring open and the wagon is on the 
street, all within less than sixty seconds. In Baltimore the 
patrol-wagons are used also for ambulances to carry to the 
hospitals or to their homes persons who may become suddenly 
ill or who may be injured on the street. If the person is con- 
scious vfhen the patrol-wagon arrives he is asked whether he 
prefers to be taken to the hospital or his home. If he chooses 
the latter and it is within the corporate limits of Baltimore, no 
matter how distant, he is conveyed thither at once. When the 
wagon leaves the stable it is driven with the utmost speed to the 
point to which it has been called. A corporation ordinance 
gives the same right of way through the streets that is granted 
to the fire companies. The Central district wagon makes its 
run to its most distant call and returns in twenty-two minutes. 

Besides its value in connection with the patrol-wagon, the 






470 OUR POLICE. 

alarm system is useful in enabling the commanders of the police 
to learn how faithfully the men are doing their patrol duty. At 
certain regular intervals during the night the policemen call up 
the station from one of the boxes and make a report showing 
them to be at their posts. 

The patrol system was introduced in the Eastern and Southern 
districts about a year after it was tried so successfully in the 
Central, and has just been put in operation in the Western 
district. The wagons in these districts are smaller than that of 
the Central, but of about the same general character and style, 
and they are drawn by one horse instead of by two. Like the 
Central wagon, they are each manned for ordinary occasions by 
two men, a driver and an officer. The patrol system necessi- 
tates the employment of six men in each station, to wit : one 
driver, one wagon officer and one man to watch the instruments, 
for the day service, and a similar corps for night service. The 
horses used in the service are handsome, well-kept and well- 
trained animals of considerable speed and of great strength and 
endurance. There are two relays, one for day and one for night 
service. They seem to enjoy the work, for they spring forward 
to their places when they hear the gong with every indication 
of pleasure and excitement. The animals used by the depart- 
ment are usually well-bred and of great intelligence. The cost of 
equipping such a service as exists in the Central district is very 
moderate when compared with its value, even though it is 
operated on a much larger and more expensive scale than the 
other districts. A summary of the original cost is appended. 
The cost of running the service is the same in each district, 
except that in the case of the Central district patrol four horses 
instead of two are to be fed and cared for. 

Erection of the Gamewell alarm system, wire, etc $15,207 45 

Purchase of horses 1,425 00 

Purchase of Patrol- wagon, freight, etc 436 20 

Work on Patrol stable 1,207 71 

Total $18,276 36 

The cost in the other districts was proportionately smaller. An 
idea of the usefulness of the patrol system may be gathered from 




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OUR POLICE. 473 

the fact that the number of calls answered by the four wagons 
now in operation in this city averages more than fifty in every 
twenty-four hours. A table of statistics of the work performed 
hy the patrol-wagon from the time its use was introduced at the 
Central district to December 31, following a period covering 
sixty-seven days, was made up by Mr. George Savage, secretary to 
the Police Board. The table shows that during these sixty-seven 
days the total number of calls answered was 917, of which 658 
were prisoners arrested for intoxication, 177 for disturbing the 
public peace in various ways, seventeen were " suspicious char- 
acters," and thirty were charged with being common thieves. 
Sixteen calls were for the removal of injured persons and fourteen 
for persons taken suddenly ill on the streets. There were five 
mis-calls. At first the patrol company was annoyed by false 
alarms. But the person having the key to the boxes was dis- 
covered and the key taken from him. It could not be proved 
that he caused the false alarms, but since he was deprived of the 
key there have been no mis-calls. The police speak in the highest 
terms of the great advantages of the system. Captain Farnan 
of the Central district said: "One patrol-wagon is worth as 
much or more than twenty-five men in constant service, besides 
making many things possible that could not possibly be done 
otherwise. In case of the perpetration of any great crime, the 
fact being communicated to the various stations by telephone 
from the police headquarters, the officers could be individually 
informed when they reported from the street stations, and the 
whole force upon the street be thus fully advised of the crime and 
its details, and be on the alert for the arrest of the suspected 
persons. My experience is that the system increases the certainty 
of punishment of crime, and therefore I think it must have a 
most powerful influence in preventing it. No matter how great 
or how turbulent a crowd there may be in a given locality, we 
have always found that upon the approach of the wagon the 
would-be rioters disperse at once. It enables the police also to 
convey to the station all sorts of prisoners, from the uproarious 
drunkard to the gentlemanly swindler, without the lamentable 
exposures so common to the ordinary arrests. The government 



474 OUR POLICE. 

is the custodian of the morals of its citizens, and it owes to all 
ages and both sexes immunity from the indecent exposure, the 
blasphemy and the impure language that too often accompany 
such arrests. By making a comparatively small force efficient, it 
saves large annual expenditure in the maintenance of the depart- 
ment. Its introduction, therefore, has been in the line of real 
economy. By promptly furnishing means for dispersing riotous 
crowds it decreases the chances of serious outbreaks, which nearly 
always end in homicide, arson or robbery. It enables the patrol- 
man to remain on his beat ; and if he arrests a person or wishes 
assistance, he has only to go to the nearest box and make his 
wants known at the station, and in a short time he is relieved of 
his prisoner and assistance is at hand. An officer making an 
arrest under the old system is obliged to go to the station and 
leave his beat entirely unprotected from one to three hours, a 
thing often taken advantage of by thieves, who have been known 
to have one of their number arrested for a trivial matter simply 
to get the officer off his beat. 

"It is the policeman's best friend ; it increases his power, 
dignity and importance, for he need never feel that he is alone or 
beyond the reach of support ; and to a very great degree it lessens 
the chances and necessity of personal encounters with the roughs 
who frequently combine for his injury or to divert him from his 
duty. 

" It establishes a thorough, business-like way of handling a 
police department — vigilance, efficiency and discipline — and se- 
curing on the part of all the protection and support of every 
individual member of the force. Electricity is the one thing 
that criminals most dread. It circumvents all their skill and 
cunning, and this application of it is as certain to prove as 
valuable in municipalities as it has heretofore proved in making 
arrests at distant points. The urgent need of a public watchman 
or constable at any particular point in any American community 
is altogether exceptional ; and the tendency is therefore to give 
the policeman a long beat to traverse, and the chances are that 
he will be out of the way when an accident happens ; and evil- 
doers will take advantage of his known absence to disturb the 




— p , , _ p „_^_ 




OUR POLICE. 477 

peace and invade the proper rights of citizens. To provide 
against such exigencies by largely increasing the number of 
policemen is obviously much less economical than to quicken the 
working of the police system by putting every patrolman within 
the reach of instant communication with the station to which he 
is attached, and if need be with headquarters, at the same time 
giving every orderly citizen in case of need the means of calling 
upon the same authorities with least delay." 

Although the patrol wagon system is thus far in use in only 
four of the seven districts in Baltimore, it is the intention of 
the Police Commissioners to extend it so as to cover- all parts of 
the city as soon as possible. At the South-western station a 
patrol house has been built and is occupied by an extra wagon, 
held in readiness in case of accident to one of the others. As 
soon as the alarm boxes and the telephone system are arranged 
and laid in that district the system will begin operation there. 
The other districts will follow in the order of their importance. 

The Harbor Police. 

Until within the last few years little or no necessity for a 
regular harbor police was felt in this city. Very few attempts 
were made to rob vessels lying at anchor in the harbor or along 
the river front, and such instances as did occur were usually 
petty affairs, in which the crew of the vessel attacked was able 
to cope with the thieves. Of late years, however, all over the 
country, river and harbor thieves seem to have sprung into 
activity. The most seriously molested places have been Boston, 
New York and Philadelphia. Those cities now maintain very 
elaborate and efficient police organizations for the protection of 
their shipping interests. In this city, however, these precau- 
tions have not yet been taken. The police board has recom- 
mended to the Legistature that provision be made for the 
purchase and equipment of a suitable steam-launch for the pur- 
poses of harbor patrol, but that body has not yet acted upon the 
recommendation. The present system of patrol consists of 
rowing about among the vessels at anchor in largo row-boats, 
each of the three police districts having a water-front : the 



478 OUR POLICE. 

Central, the Southern and the Eastern maintains one boat, 
in which three policemen row about on duty from eight o'clock 
in the evening until four o'clock in the morning watching the 
shipping in front of their own district's water-front. This patrol 
is continued during the whole year except when, during the 
winter, the ice in the water makes row-boat navigation impossible. 
At such times the shipping is comparatively safe from marauders, 
for the same reason. 

The Police Charities. 
While the city has been ever noted for its local charities and 
for the promptness and liberality with which its people respond 
to cries of distress from other communities, there is one class to 
which more than to any other it owes its fame for munificence. 
For many years the police have taken a leading part in the prose- 
cution of Baltimore's charitable works. Every winter they collect 
large sums of money and supplies for the relief of the suffering 
poor. In summer they have sold tickets for the benefit of the Free 
Excursion Fund. No great disaster in any sister city or distress 
in a foreign land brings an appeal to the charity of the world, 
but the police force of Baltimore takes the lead in devising and 
carrying out plans for making substantial response. Of all the 
charities conducted under their auspices the most useful is the 
distribution of alms every winter among the deserving poor. The 
beginning of this custom is found some twenty years ago in the 
Southern police district, of which Jacob Frey, now marshal, was 
captain. The Southern district included some of the most 
wretched quarters of the city, and every severe winter the suffer- 
ings of its poor were truly pitiable. The winter of 1867-68 was 
a rigorous one, and many policemen, meeting on their rounds 
with cases of great distress, put their haads in their own pockets 
and gave of their scanty possessions, relief to the dire sufferings 
they witnessed. Talking over these things in the station at 
night, the patrolmen found that there were few among them who 
did not meet with some sad cases. At the suggestion of Captain 
Frey a resolution was passed by the men by which they agreed 
that each of them would give 25 cents out of their fortnight's pay 



OUR POLICE. 479 

for the relief of such cases of distress as came under their obser- 
vation. For three months this generosity was continued and 
bore the most excellent fruit. A few newspaper reporters whose 
labors brought them into occasional contact with the same 
sufferers, contributed also to the fund. An item in one of the 
newspapers attracted the attention of other persons to the move- 
ment, and before the winter closed a large number of contributions 
of clothing, provisions and money were received by Captain Frey 
from citizens. In all, the police distributed more than three 
hundred dollars' worth of food and fuel that winter among the 
poor of their district, besides a considerable quantity of provisions 
sent hj private persons, and more than a hundred pieces of 
second-hand clothing. An incalculable amount of suffering and 
doubtless many lives were saved by this work. During the fol- 
lowing winters for some years the example of the Southern dis- 
trict was followed in other parts of the city. The charitable work 
was done quietly and modestly, and not all the wealthy people 
knew of it. Many outside contributions began to be sent to the 
police to aid them in their errands of mercy, but there was no 
general public movement in that direction until, during the winter 
of 1881-82, Mr. A. S. Abell, of the Baltimore Sun, sent Mr. 
Frey, then deputy-marshal, $600 to be distributed equally 
among the then six police districts, to be added to their relief 
fund. Other wealthy gentlemen, hearing of Mr. Abell's act, 
also sent large sums to Mr. Frey. The amount of clothing and 
provisions contributed was largely increased at the same time, so 
that the office of the Marshal of Police assumed the additional 
duties of a bureau of relief. The police continued to make their 
own contributions and to distribute the alms with the same scru- 
tinizing fidelity and discrimination as ever. After this the 
amount of contributions to the "Police Winter Relief Fund," as 
it began to be called, increased greatly each year until in the 
winter of 1885-86, a particularly severe season, more than 
$18,000 in money and provisions, and clothing valued at more 
than $10,000, were sent in by the people of Baltimore for dis- 
tribution. 

The "Free Excursion Fund" is a summer charity, and is used 



480 OUR POLICE. 

to provide free excursions for the poor of the crowded districts. 
The main part of the money secured by the fund is derived from 
a theatrical benefit which is given every spring. The police all 
over the city have sold the tickets for this benefit, and by their 
energetic personal solicitations have realized as a rule between 
four and five thousand dollars. The "Free Excursion Fund" 
is a charity of some twelve years' standing. On April 26, 1881, 
it being a few days before the annual benefit for the fund, the 
Evening News published the following editorial article, supposed 
to have been written by a prominent Protestant clergyman of 
this city. Its sentiments found a responsive echo in the hearts 
of the entire community, and the sale of seats for that year's 
benefit was very much larger than usual. A gentleman promi- 
nently connected with the "Free Excursion Fund" caused the 
article to be reprinted in the form of a circular, and sent copies, 
set in neat frames, to each of the police stations and to the Mar- 
shal's office : 

" A performance for the benefit of the " Poor Excursion Fund " has been 
announced for Monday evening next, and coupled with it is the usual an- 
nouncement that tickets are in the hands of the members of the police force 
for sale. For a day or two these officers will be calling upon citizens to take 
one or more tickets to help out one of the most laudable charities in which 
humanity can annually invest. And through the efforts and exertions of 
these warm-hearted men, hundreds of dollars will be collected for the pur- 
chase of food and air and recreation for our suffering poor. 

" We have become so accustomed to having the name of our police force 
associated with some humane act that we hardly take notice of the numerous 
instances during the course of the year, when they are called upon to serve 
the cause of charity. We see them made a butt of, occasionally on the stage, 
we thoughtlessly ridicule them once in a while, for it seems to be the nature 
of Americans to mock at anything that wears the semblance of authority; we 
are apt to prejudge or condemn them if we hear of some refractory prisoner 
being clubbed or pulled along with the nippers, seldom pausing to inquire 
the violence, resistance and brutal stubbornness which provoked if it did not 
justify it. And yet how many times during the year do we see chronicled to 
their credit acts of humanity, and often heroism, which do their manhood 
honor, and how many kindnesses do they do that are never read of in the 
public prints at all ? During the severe winter just passed, we venture to say 
that the policemen of Baltimore, in proportion to their incomes, gave more 
liberally to the poor than any other class of our people. They are generally 
poor men themselves, with families depending on them, yet last winter — and 
every year, for that matter— they were daily called upon to render assistance 




o 
o 



MS 



OUR POLICE. 481 

to some perishing family, and they gave liberally of their own scant earnings 
and worked industriously and assiduously in the collection and distribution 
of alms. 

" It cannot be forgotten that our station houses during the worst part of the 
cold months were turned into depots of charitable relief. There popular con- 
tributions were brought and from them they were kindly, impartially and 
sympathetically distributed. The hearts of these strong men melted at the 
cry of human suffering, and searched out the sick and needy, made known the 
wants of the suffering, begged and collected contributions from the charitably 
disposed, went from one home of misery to another soothing and cheering by 
a, kind word and sympathetic promise, and daily taking from their own pockets 
the means to piece out the wants of the poor and the gifts of the kind-hearted. 

''They may be strong, rough men, wearing the uniform of local authority, 
hut in many a hopeless hovel those blue-coats were welcomed with a cry of 
mingled anguish and joy last winter ; many a pinched face, wan cheek and 
hollow, hungry eye greeted them with famished anxiety and followed them 
with blessings from truly grateful hearts. Many a pulse leaped beneath the 
police shield, heart-beats of manly sympathy that would have done credit to 
the impulses of the world's famous philanthropists, in response to the piteous 
appeals of some starving or freezing vagrant, or before the melting tears of 
some stricken parent whose faint prayer for help touched a responsive chord 
in a parent's bosom. 

"Yes, a brave, big-hearted set of men are the Baltimore policemen; and all 
the kind acts they did last winter, and all the quiet, unostentatious benevo- 
lence they do daily should commend them to the people they so faithfully 
serve. , They have taken hold of this summer charity in the same generous 
spirit that they fed the hungry, clothed the naked, warmed the freezing and 
ministered to the sick through the trying and inclement season from which 
we have just emerged. And their efforts now will be crowned with the fullest 
success, we are sure. We urge our citizens to purchase liberally of them the 
tickets for next Monday's entertainment, for every dollar bestowed upon this 
charity is a solid contribution to the general health. Save the lives of the 
poor and keep down the death rate ; refresh the weak and delicate, and give 
them strength to contribute by their* toil to the general progress instead of 
being charges hereafter upon popular charity ; strengthen and build up the 
weak, and prevent them becoming the seed of and food for a pestilence. It is 
a good work, and kind and earnest men are pushing it ; let the response be as 
large and liberal as your means will permit." 

Thanks to the efforts of the police, without whose services the 
Free Excursion Fund could not last a single season, hundreds of 
poor mothers and their sickly babes are given occasional oppor- 
tunities during the heated term to enjoy a day's recreation away 
from the noisome odors of their narrow alleys, and breathe for 



482 OUR POLICE. 

a few blessed hours Nature's own pure atmosphere on the bosom 
of the beautiful Chesapeake. 

Prompt and earnest as the police have proved themselves in 
the relief of distress at home, they have been no less energetic in 
their practical sympathy for sufferers in distant parts. The 
yellow fever about New Orleans, the famines in Ireland, the 
floods along the Ohio, the earthquake in Charleston — these and 
a score of other great visitations have again and again roused the 
sympathies of the citizens of Baltimore, but always the first and 
the leading channels of popular contribution have been the police. 
And not only have they collected the donations of others, but 
they have themselves always subscribed with a free-hearted liber- 
ality that almost approached prodigality. The most recent popular 
charitable demonstration was on the occasion of the terrible 
earthquake in South Carolina. Within twenty-four hours after 
the news of the disaster in Charleston, Manager Ford, of Ford's 
Opera House, had offered to give a benefit for the sufferers in 
that stricken city, and the police as usual volunteered to canvass 
for the sale of tickets. The people were full of sympathy with 
the object, and this, together with the very energetic work done 
by the policemen in disposing of the tickets, made the benefit one 
of the greatest financial successes of its kind that ever took place 
in Baltimore. The total receipts of the evening were more than 
$5,775. The entertainment took place on the evening of Sep- 
tember 8. On the following day a check for $5,000 was hurried 
off to Mayor Courtenay, and a few days later another check for 
the remainder of the money was sent. The number of tickets 
sold (the price of each ticket being uniformly fifty cents) 
was 11,546, which netted $5,775.25. The extra $2.25 was 
money overpaid a policeman by a gentleman who desired it to be 
applied to the fund. While this benefit was in progress another 
gotten up by General Agnus of the American was arranged for 
the Holliday Street Theatre, two nights later. The police sold 
the tickets for this benefit, too, and netted $1,337, which was 
sent to Charleston by General Agnus with a large additional 
amount collected at the office of his newspaper. Besides the 
work they did for these two benefits — most of the policemen 




7 

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Ph to 

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OUR POLICE. 483 

buying tickets themselves in addition to carrying them about to 
sell to others — a subscription among the policemen for the relief 
of their brother policemen in Charleston netted $700, or about 
$1 for every man on the force. 

An article in a Charleston paper subsequently to the earth- 
quake excitement said that if all the United States, in proportion 
to the population, had contributed as liberally as the city of Bal- 
timore, the total losses of Charleston would have been made up. 
Mayor Courtenay sent special messages to Marshal Frey thank- 
ing him, both in his personal and in his official capacity, for his 
untiring efforts in behalf of Charleston's stricken people. 

The ample provision made by the State for sick or disabled 
policemen makes numerous charitable organizations within the 
police force unnecessary and undesirable. The " Police Bene- 
ficial Association," a life insurance society on an excellent 
plan, is really the only organization partaking of a charitable 
nature that exists within the police force itself. Under the 
present law the Board of Police is authorized to pay their regular 
salaries for a considerable time to the officers unable to attend to 
their duties by reason of sickness or disability, and also to pension 
superannuated policemen. The law is a recent enactment, but it 
is merely declaratory of the right of the Commissioners to do what 
had been their custom ever since the reorganization of 1867. 
The second section of the statute, which is the part relating to 
this subject, is as follows •, 

"That in addition to the sums of money now authorized by law to be paid out 
of the fund so as above constituted and designated (i. e. "Special Fund"), the 
said Board of Police Commissioners are hereby empowered, whenever in their 
opinion the efficiency of the force may require it, to retire any officer of Police, 
Policeman or Detective and pay him, in monthly instalments out of said fund 
for life, a sum of money not to exceed one-third of the amount of money 
monthly paid to him as such officer of police, policeman or detective at the 
time of his said retirement ; provided, however, he shall have served faithfully 
not less than sixteen years as such officer of police, policeman or detective, or 
shall have been permanently disabled.in the discharge of his duty as such officer 
of police, policeman or detective ; and the said board shall in all cases before 
making such retirement procure and file among their records a certificate of a 
competent and reputable physician that the person proposed to be retired luis 
been thoroughly examined by him, and that lie is incapable of performing 



484 OUR POLICE. 

active police duty: provided, however, that the said board shall have the 
power, in their discretion, to suspend payment to any such officer of police, 
policeman or detective for a term not to exceed' three months for the first 
offence, for the second offence a term not to exceed six months, and for the 
third offence shall be subject to dismissal, upon proof given that the said 
officer of police, policeman or detective is living an improper or immoral life." 

The Act received the Governor's approval on April 7, 1886. 
The "Police Beneficial Association" is the outgrowth of a num- 
ber of similar associations that were in vogue for some years 
previously to its organization in the various districts of the city. 
The first of these associations w r as organized nearly twenty years 
ago in the Southern district, of which Marshal Frey was then 
captain. It consisted simply of an agreement among the men 
to contribute to a brother officer in the district fifty cents each in 
case of the death of his wife, to defray the expenses of her funeral, 
and in case of the death of one of the officers, to contribute one 
dollar each to the widow. As soon as this association was in 
working order in Captain Frey's district the same or a similar 
scheme was adopted in each of the other districts. After some 
years the greater advantage that would arise from having such 
an association, which would include the whole department, led 
the officers of the old organizations at last to meet and draw up 
a plan for a new society, which, after being set before the men 
was adopted by them. It was called the "Police Beneficial 
Association of Baltimore." Its object was solely life insurance 
for the police officers. Its methods are fully explained in its 
rules, which were adopted on April 13, 1886. The following is 
a copy of them : 

Rule I. — The association shall be known as " The Police Beneficial Asso- 
ciation of Baltimore," and all persons connected with the Police department 
(other than matrons) whether active or retired on pension by the Police Board 
shall be eligible to membership therein on filing an application within seven 
days from the organization hereof, and all persons hereafter to be appointed 
upon said force may become members of this association by filing an applica- 
tion within seven days of their appointment upon the force. 

Rule II. — The officers of the association shall consist of a president, vice- 
president and a secretary, and each police district shall constitute a branch of 
the association, and the captains of the force shall act as an executive com- 
mittee in connection with the president and the vice-president. 



OUR POLICE. 485 

Rule III. — In the event of the death of a member of the association, the 
president shall notify the members of the executive committee of the several 
police districts to collect frOm each member of the association in their respec- 
tive districts the sum of One Dollar, the same to be collected on the next 
ensuing pay-day after the death of said member. The money so collected shall 
be handed over to the President and by him be paid over to whomsoever the 
deceased member may have assigned or willed the same. Should the deceased 
have failed to make a will, a sufficient amount of the money so collected shall 
be used to pay all necessary funeral expenses, the remainder shall be disposed 
of for the use of his family as the executive committee shall order, and his, 
her or their receipt shall be the voucher for the amount so paid. 

Rule IV. — In t*he event of the death of the wife of a member of the asso- 
ciation, the president shall notify the members of the executive committee of 
the several police districts to collect from each member in their respective 
districts, the sum of fifty cents, the same to be collected on the next ensuing 
pay-day after the death of said member's wife. The money so collected shall 
be handed over to the president and by him paid to the husband of the 
deceased, taking his receipt for the amount so paid. 

Rule V. — We do hereby agree in case a retired pensioned officer who is a 
member of the Police Beneficial Association should at any time (in the judg- 
ment of the executive committee) be unable to pay his assessment, the officers 
who are members of the association in the district from which said officer was 
retired shall make up the necessary assessment and pay the same over to the 
captain of the district to said retired officer's credit. 

Rule VI. — In case of the resignation or dismissal of any member of this 
association from the police force, he shall immediately cease to be a member 
of this association. 

Rule VII.— The executive committee shall be authorized to call a meeting 
of the association at such times as they may deem necessary. The association 
shall be represented in connection with the executive committee by one ser. 
geant and two patrolmen from each district and one detective officer from the 
detective department. 

The first officers elected were as follows : President, Marshal 
Jacob Frey; Vice-President, Deputy-marshal John Lannan; Sec- 
retary, Detective George W. Seibold. The first death claim paid 
was to policeman John Nix upon the death of his wife. The first 
member of the association to die was Police Commissioner John 
Milroy. The amount paid by the association at present in case 
of the death of a member is a little more than seven hundred 
dollars, and in case of the death of a wife of a member half that 
amount. There is absolutely no expense incurred in operating 
the association, so that the men are thus enabled to get life insur- 
ance at exact cost. 



486 OUR POLICE. 



CHAPTER XVI 

• Charles Becker, the Forger. 

little carl on the banks of the spree. — in america. 

learning to engrave. — in love with clara bechtel. 

an ominous wish. — the first crime. — robbing the bal- 
timore third national bank vault. — in a turkish 

prison. — the escape and the murder of mrs. chapman. 

swindling the union trust company. — a scheme to de- 
fraud the european continent. — the 1,000 franc note 
forgery. — for nearly six years a prisoner. — " yes, 
pet, I'll try to be good." 

It was May's fairest day in 1857. The banks of the Spree 
were aglow with wild flowers and fragrant with the sweetness of 
the earth after rain. The little waves lapped the pebbles as they 
ran towards the great city of Berlin in the distance, and sang 
musically to little Carl who was seated on a fallen log dipping first 
one foot and then the other into the clear water, laughing all the 
while. There was the color of a well-ripened lady-apple on his 
cheeks. Carl's furrowless forehead upheld a tangled mass of 
bright hair ; his blue eyes glanced first up the stream and then 
down again and then filled with tears. 

"Alack !" he cried as he put his plump little hand against a 
dimple in his cheek, "Alack ! and why does not Minnachen come 
this way?" 

But Minna did not come and sleep did. It was very, very hard 
to keep those little blue eyes open. The shade of the linden was 
so cool, and the whispering of the little water-sprites was so sweet, 
and the humming of that great big old grandfather bee made 
him so drowsy. And then Minnachen was so long in coming — 
wouldn't come at all, maybe. " Oh-o-o, I am so sleepy," and 
away went little Carl's wakefulness as his head rested upon a 
little bank of moss. A little daisy near by bobbed in the wind 



OUR POLICE. 487 

and as if attracted toward the sweet baby face below it, bent 
down and kissed it. So Carl went fast to sleep. 

When awakened the sun was shining right under his eye-lids, 
for it was nearly twilight. The day was about spent and all that 
was needed was for the great ball of fire to sink beneath the hills 
in the west and give the little stars a chance to light our Carl to 
his home. No, Minna has not come yet, Carl, but she is coming. 
Hear her voice: "Carl, Carl, mein brudder Carl!" it calls. 
"Ach Carl!" it says, and another curly head is there by the 
banks of the Spree for the sun to touch with his lightest finger 
of grace and repose its keeping to the night. With arms on 
shoulders the little ones skip joyously towards a little cottage 
among a group of trees in the distance. Already there are lights 
in the windows and a kind-faced old woman stands on the 
threshold and with her apron beckons the golden-heads on. "Oh, 
Mother Becker," exclaims a passer-by, "but you are a lucky 
woman! The little fellow will make a fine soldier some day." 

Within the door-way sits an elderly man from whose pipe arise 
long curls of white smoke which are tossed about by the spring 
breezes awhile and then vanish. It is father Becker, little Carl's 
and Minna's father, but oh ! so weary of the incessant toil and 
fruitless endeavors of a German peasant's life, so tired of the 
struggle to fill the little ones' mouths, so — 

"Mother Becker," he says shortly, "let's go to America." 
"All right, my man. I am thine. I will follow thee." 
It was not long after this that the Becker family with ten- 
years-old Carl and little Minna came to this country which had 
been described to them as the land of gold ; where money 
came almost for the asking. But they did not find it the Eldo- 
rado of their imagination. It was hard work that father Becker 
had in the big city of New York to keep the little ones gladsome 
and the mother from regretting the cottage by the Spree. But 
he was a typical German. Frugality, patience, industry did their 
parts and after a time the Beckers got to be looked on as rising 
people — money in the bank and all those other evidences of re- 
spectability which make classes. Carl and Minna went to a big 
school on the east side of the city and soon became known 



488 OUR POLICE. 

as Charles and Minnie. They lost most of their recollection of 
the Fatherland. They were Americans now, and when the war 
opened Charles wanted to go to the front as a drummer-boy, 
but he didn't. He got to be a big lellow by this time and 
there was little left for him to do in school, so rapid had been his 
advancement. He was devoted to his pencil. He drew Minnie's 
and his father's and mother's faces so well that they had them 
framed and hung them in the parlor. He also wrote a marvel- 
ous hand and could do almost anything with a pen. He 
could imitate any other person's writing to a nicety that was 
remarkable, and it became the boast of the family that Charles 
was sure to become a great man — a priest or doctor perhaps. 
Minnie — she regarded her brother with an affection that was 
devotion ; anything that Charles did was right. 

Mr. Becker was determined that Charles should learn a trade, 
and so, as the boy knew how to draw and write so well it was 
plainly to be seen that he should be an engraver. Wasn't Al- 
brecht Durer an engraver ! So an old friend of the family who 
was a journeyman engraver took the lad under his protection and 
taught him how to use the burin with such skill that it was not 
necessary for him to remain a pupil until he was twenty-one 
years old. He knew almost as much as his master within a few 
months and began to do odd jobs himself. His skill became the 
talk of the neighborhood. Every one was talking about what 
little Charlie Becker could do in making engravings. Once he 
saw a lithograph of Guido's head of Beatrice de Cenci. He 
bought it for half a dollar, seated himself at his table and within 
a week turned out a plate that he sold for fifty dollars. It began 
to look well for the fortunes of the Becker family. Charlie was 
a genius, and what was more, a genius who could make money. 
He got a position in one of the great engraving companies and 
then — then he fell in love. 

Clara Bechtel was a realization of the Italian artist's concep- 
tion of Margaretta. Great masses of sunny hair. Eyes that 
mingled with their hazel, tints of a warmer hue, which in passion 
grew burning in their intensity, eloquent with the fires which 
smouldered beneath. She was but. seventeen. Charles was onlv 



OUR POLICE. 489 

twenty years. It was a first love and it wrapped the two in all 
the delusions and delights of that experience. Clara liked pretty 
things to wear upon her fingers. Charles was still poor, though he 
saw chances ahead of becoming one of the most expert engravers 
of his time. His sweet-heart was coy, however. She could be 
won by love, she promised him, but she fancied sweet things in 
golden bon-bon boxes. She desired wealth — and Charles was 
poor. One day in 1868, Clara pouted and said that her engage- 
ment ring was not nearly so pretty as another girl's she men- 
tioned. She wanted a diamond one. Her wish was sufficient for 
Charles. 

" Clara, dear," he said, "you shall have the biggest one I can 
buy.* 

The young man at that time in his trade was engraving private 
bank checks lor a prominent grocery house in the lower part 
of the city. He had received checks irom the firm in payment 
for his work. He spent a day in completing a forgery for $638 
on the bank at which his employers did business. He presented 
the check and it was paid without a question. Two hundred 
dollars of this he invested in a diamond ring for Clara. The 
remainder he held to enable him to flee the city if it was neces- 
sary. Clara received the jewel without showing any suspicions 
she may have had, but when the detectives traced Charlie's pur- 
chase to her, she willingly told them all the circumstances of the 
gift. Charles was arrested, but father Becker paid back the 
money and the prosecution of the young man was stopped. This 
was the first step, and it brought dire results. Clara discarded 
her lover, declaring that she would have nothing to do with a 
thief. Little Minnie felt the disgrace most keenly, for it hastened 
the consumption with which she was dying, and within a week 
after Charles' arrest she was a corpse. Father and mother 
Becker left Charles alone two years afterwards, and none too soon 
lor them to die peacefully. It may have been that Becker, 
deserted by the woman he loved and losing his family by his own 
mad crime, became desperate. Certain it is that the former good 
influences of his life lost their hold, and he abandoned himself to 
evil companions and reckless dissipation. It was Clara Bechtel's 



490 OUR POLICE. 

diamond ring that was his undoing and which gave to this country 
one of its most notorious criminals. 

It does not require any considerable time for the shrewdest 
criminals to become acquainted with each other. The attraction 
•of criminals for the like is as marked as the same sentiment 
among the learned professions. Union, too, means strength, and 
in a party of men whose lives have not been the whitest a com- 
bination means a power for evil that is not pleasant to think of. 
Fifteen years ago these gangs were much more potent than they 
now are. They had persons behind them who. had money enough 
to buy up juries, and on certain occasions magistrates. This 
money they used to shelter their friends, and used it effectually. 
Young Becker, still desperate and careless of consequences, found 
it easy and even pleasant to become acquainted with the men who 
had heard of his skill and desired to take advantage of it. Among 
the persons who attached themselves to him were George Engells 
and George Wilkes, two of the most expert forgers of that period. 
They could plan great schemes of villainy and Becker was con- 
tent to lend his assistance to them. His skill as an engraver had 
steadily improved, and a gang of criminals containing such ex- 
perts as these three men meant a serious menace to the community. 
They engaged in only big operations, regarding minor rascalities 
as too contemptible for men of their distinction to bother with. 
They were uniformly fortunate, too, and conducted their schemes 
to a finish with an adroitness that to the police seemed almost 

superhuman. 

* # # * * * * 

It was a very hot day in July, 1872, when a tastefully dressed 
gentleman entered the office of John S. Gittings & Co., bankers, 
on North street, Baltimore, and inquired for Mr. Gittings. The 
latter was in his private office and the boy requested the stranger 
to walk in. 

" My partner and myself have been looking over that building 
of yours next to the Third National Bank," said the caller in a 
business-like tone as he greeted the banker, " and we have come 
to the conclusion that it will just suit our purposes. You see we 
want to start a general grain commission business and we desire 



OUR POLICE. 491 

to get in the centre of the business part of your city. The first 
floor of your premises just suits us. What are your terms?" 

"Thirteen hundred dollars a year," was the reply. 

" Good price, but we can afford to pay good rent for a good 
location. Here is $650 for the first six months. If you will 
give me a receipt, my firm will take possession of the floor at 
once." 

"The name, if you please?" asked the banker. 

"Stabler & Co." 

It required but a few minutes to make out and sign the receipt 
for the rent. When it was done Mr. Stabler carelessly stuck 
the paper into his pocket, nodded a brief but pleasant good- 
morning to the banker and strolled up North street. He had 
scarcely got to Baltimore street when he was saluted by a heavily 
built man wearing a black mustache and goatee, with : 

" Hello, Charles, what luck ? " 

"They couldn't stand the cold cash and so they let us have 
the floor. Plain sailing, now, isn't it?" 

" Some," was the laconic response as the heavy man seized the 
arm of the more gracefully built one and accompanied him up 
town. 

The following morning the messenger of the Third National 
T3ank seated himself near the paying teller's desk and watched a 
truck load of furniture stop next door. " Hello !" he exclaimed, 
" Gittings has rented his store." By and by a man with a black 
mustache and goatee entered the bank and going to the cashier's 
window said : 

" I desire to open an account in this institution in behalf of my 
Urm. We are new people in these parts, but I think our trans- 
actions will be considerable." 

The cashier of the bank arranged things satisfactorily, and 
after being introduced to the president of the bank as Mr. Stabler, 
"whose firm intended to do business next door," the man with 
the black mustache withdrew. It required not very long for the 
two members of the firm of Stabler & Co. to establish quite an 
enviable reputation in the vicinity as particularly good fellows, 
with an enormous fund of amusing stories and pretty deep pockets. 



492 OUR POLICE. 

The younger Stabler was apparently a German, for he spoke with 
a very slight but unmistakable accent. The elder man, who 
declared that his name also was Stabler, accounted for his free- 
dom from peculiarity in pronouncing English by saying that he 
had been born and had spent all his life in New York, but that 
his cousin, the other stranger, had landed here from Bremen when 
quite a large boy and had never acquired a pure accent. Some- 
times he would jocularly address his cousin as " Dutchy " — an 
appellation the latter would seem to very much enjoy. The 
business of Stabler & Co. seemed to be considerable, for their 
mail was large. They did a large elevator business at Milwaukee, 
they said, and they purposed to establish a branch at Baltimore 
rather than in New York, because they could here avoid much 
of the competition that ruins trade in the metropolis. The mem- 
bers of the firm worked late, for very often, even after midnight, 
pedestrians could distinguish a small light in the private office of 
the firm and hear a scratching as though some one was very busy 
writing. The elder Stabler got well acquainted with the cashier 
of the bank next door, and often spent a half hour before the work 
of the institution ceased in the bank official's office discussing 
current events. One day he said to the cashier : 

"By the way, my firm has considerable money in your bank. . 
How do you keep it?" 

"Oh, safe enough," the cashier replied, jokingly; "come and 
see." Then the visitor was shown the big vault. Its interior 
was explained to him with much exactness of detail, and Mr r 
Stabler strolled away expressing amazement at the massiveness 
of the strong box in which reposed the funds of the institution. 
Mr. Stabler went straight to his office, and opening the door of 
the private room with his latch-key, entered. As he did so, his 
cousin Charles sprang back from a map which hung upon the 
wall and which he was examining, and confronted the visitor with 
a motion that was indicative of some shooting. When he saw 
who the intruder was he exclaimed : 

"Why the deuce didn't you rap, Joe ?" 

"Oh, that's all right, old man. We can do that job to-night 
while the watchman is out at his supper." 



OUR POLICE. 493 

"Well, if we are to finish up to-night we had better get to 
work," returned Charles. 

^ %. * >K * * * 

At about three o'clock in the morning of Sunday, August 18, 
two men left the offices of Stabler & Co., carrying valises which 
seemed well filled, but which were certainly not heavy. They 
walked along the street carelessly, smoking cigars and apparently 
enjoying them. They met two policemen as they passed into 
Baltimore street, and as they did .so the latter saluted them with : 

"Nice night, Mr. Stabler." 

"Yes, indeed, George," was the reply of the younger pedes- 
trian. " Have a cigar? " 

"No, thanks: I'm on duty, you know." Then after the two 
merchants had passed, policeman George turned to his companion 
with: "Nice man that Mr. Stabler. Generous like, you know." 

At the junction of Charles and Baltimore streets, the Stablers 

entered a light wagon and drove away. That was the last ever 

seen of the firm of Stabler & Co. in the Monumental City. 
* * * * ^ * 

It was scarcely nine o'clock the following morning when a man, 
hatless and with only his waistcoat on, rushed into police-head- 
quarters and falling half-prostrate upon a chair, panted : 

" S-send policeman ! Third N-n-national has been rob-bed !" 

The intelligence was startling. The Third National Bank of 
Baltimore had a credit that was continent-wide. It was regarded 
as one of the safest institutions south of Philadelphia and was 
known to be the repository of great sums of money. Marshal of 
Police Gray could scarce realize the enormity of the affair when 
another messenger from the bank rushed in and exclaimed : 

"Nearly $150,000 stolen from our bank, marshal ! " 

" When ? " was the inquiry. 

"Between Saturday night and this morning." 

"How?" 

" Vault smashed in from the back. Nearly all the cash gone ! " 

Detectives were promptly assigned to the case and made a 
careful inspection of the interior of the vault. As soon as they 
saw it they understood that the work had been done by the most 




BANK BURGLARS' OUTFIT. 



OUR POLICE. 495 

expert safe robbers in the country. The exterior of the vault 
indicated nothing. It was only after the doors had been opened 
that the havoc played became perceptible. There was a hole 
extending right through the rear of the vault, the brick work 
between the two buildings and into the private office of Messrs. 
Stabler & Co., general commission merchants. The offices con- 
sisted of five rooms, three front and two rear. The front offices 
were furnished with an eye to the business which was professedly 
done in them. There were pretty little stands holding sample 
grades of corn and wheat and imposing looking desks, which 
when opened were found to contain nothing. In one of the rear 
rooms was found a cot and some clothing. The latter had no 
mark. It evidently belonged to some evil-looking clerks in 
Stabler & Co.'s employ. In the other room, or private office, 
the manner of the execution of the crime at once became ap- 
parent. Lying upon the floor was a set of the finest burglar 
tools ever seen in Baltimore. They were of the most mar- 
velously delicate workmanship and united what is so necessary 
in articles of this kind ; the steel was of as fine a temper as the 
ancient Damascus. Near these tools was a pair of trousers still 
damp from perspiration. They bore no mark of ownership. 
Upon a table near the aperture in the wall stood two half-finished 
bottles of champagne and some truffled turkey sandwiches. The 
burglars had evidently enjoyed themselves as much as possible 
with their work. Then the opening in the wall was examined. 
A large map of the United States covered the side of the apart- 
ment nearest the bank vault. It was under this that the work 
was done. When morning came the burglars simply dropped 
the end of the map over their work of destruction and regarded 
themselves as safe. The opening from Stabler & Co.'s private 
office into the vault measured two feet square, extending through 
the hard brick to where the iron covering plate of the vault stood 
in the way, three-eighths of an inch in thickness. In this iron a 
hole eighteen inches square had been cut, and through the bricks 
beyond this was another aperture. The entire thickness of the 
alternating brick and iron through which the burglars had cut 
measured over thirty inches. Within the vault were two safes. 



496 OUR POLICE. 

one containing $100,000 in bank-notes. This was not touched. 
The one which was rifled had been opened with jack-screws 
and relieved of $35,000 in bank-notes; $15,000 in government 
bonds and more than $100,000 in bonds and private securities. 
The burglars left no clew behind them save descriptions such as 
were obtained from the intimates of the Stabler cousins. But 
the descriptions were good and were sent all over the country 
with a placard offering $10,000 reward for the recovery of the 
stolen property. It was soon learned that the criminals who 
imposed on the business men of Baltimore as respectable general 
grain commission merchants were none other than Charles Becker 
and Joe Elliott. 

The robbery created an intense excitement throughout the 
State, and hundreds of stories about the burglars, their actions 
and their manners, were current for months after the crime took 
place. Mr. John S. Gittings, the elder, related an anecdote 
which was characteristic of the coolness of the fellows. On the 
Thursday before the robbery the old gentleman strolled into 
" Stabler & Company's" office to see how the new firm liked its 
quarters. He was greeted with much courtesy by the elder 
partner and escorted to the rear office. As he passed through he 
saw two clerks in their shirt sleeves at the desks apparently at 
work upon their ledgers. The younger partner was in the rear 
offices which were neatly and comfortably furnished. 

"Well, how do you find business?" inquired Mr. Gittings as 
he seated himself in a proffered chair. 

"Very slow, very slow," said the elder Stabler in accents of 
disappointment. " It is very much slower than we expected. If 
this business does not brighten up soon we shall open a bank 
here." 

The younger man shot a sudden look of surprise at the speaker 
and then relapsed into a faint smile. 

The old banker took his departure and three days later Stabler 
& Co. " opened " the Third National Bank. 

Becker had met Elliott shortly after his experience with his 
first forgery, and the two men soon came to have mutual respect 
for each other's intelligence. It was rather dull in the city in 



OUR POLICE. 497 

the warm weather, and one day in June, Elliott proposed to 
Becker that they go South somewhere and "make some money." 
The ground was gone over very carefully and finally the Baltimore 
bank was chosen. The clerks who were employed by Becker 
and Elliott were members of the gang which the two men had 
assembled. The notoriety which this bank robbery brought to 
Becker and Elliott was not relished by those worthies, and as soon 
as they were advised by their friends that they had been identi- 
fied they sailed for Europe, and for a time lived on the money 
they had stolen from the Third National Bank. But burglary 
did not suit Charles Becker's fancy. He disliked the extremely 
hard and dangerous work. He had gifts of a remarkable kind 
and he could make more money out of them than he could by 
using the jimmy, and so he informed Elliott. It was while the 
two were in Paris that Becker made this resolution, and it deter- 
mined the future course of his life. Here he was only twenty- six 
years old, but already known to be a noted criminal who would 
stop at nothing to gain his ends. The gang of men who worked 
with him and had met him in France included "Joe" Chapman 
and Ivan Siscovitch, the former an English forger whose record 
was a strange chapter of desperate ventures and cowardice, and 
the latter a Russian whose crimes had been the talk of the police 
in every part of Europe. With these men Charles Becker was 
regarded as a leader. He could plan great crimes and had pluck 
enough to see them through. This quartette of criminals passed 
their time very pleasantly in Paris spending Baltimoreans' money. 
It was there that Becker had something of a romance. 

He had been passing the afternoon idling in the gallery of the 
Louvre. Crowds of sight-seers had passed and repassed before 
him and still he mused about old times and speculated about how 
long his present liberty would continue. He was considering the 
advisability of breaking with his companions, seek to change his 
identity and lead an honest life, when his attention was attracted 
by the laugh of a woman near him. Her back was turned 
towards him, but there seemed to be something familiar about its 
lines. A gray-bearded man stood beside her and smiled as she 
smiled, watching the play of her features all the while with the 



498 OUR POLICE. 

delight of a lover. The man Becker certainly did not know, but 
the woman — . He was about to give the enigma up when he 
heard the elderly man say in an unmistakably American accent : 

" Clara, I think that head very like yours." 

The woman turned her glance towards the picture and disclosed 
the features of Clara Bechtel. Becker was dumbfounded. He 
had met the woman who had ruined his life at the very moment 
he was cherishing repentance, and had she not appeared he might 
have turned his back upon his former associations and began the 
world anew. But his future was fixed. There was a glance at 
Becker, but that glance meant everything. Charles was on his 
feet in an instant. A moment more and he was bowing before 
her. 

" My husband, Mr. Becker/' Clara began. "Mr. Becker is 
an old friend of mine, John." And thus the acquaintance was 
renewed. Becker found that his friends were living for a short 
time at the Grand Hotel. Her husband was a jeweler who had 
accumulated a large fortune by side speculations. He had met 
Clara at a German festival, fell in love with her and married her. 
Clara cared as little for him as she did for her other admirers. 
She wedded him solely for his fortune. The thorough badness of 
the woman was manifested before she had been in Paris two 
months. During that time Becker was a constant visitor at the 
Grand Hotel, Clara's husband was occasionally absent on busi- 
ness. Clara was always at home to Becker, and this friendship 
grew finally to be so marked that Charles' companions began to 
joke with him about it. 

"Pshaw, boys," he would return, "Mrs. has no heart 

save her husband's purse." 

But he soon discovered the contrary. Clara, her husband, 
Becker, and a party of friends took a barge one moonlight night 
up the Seine. Supper was taken at one of the scores of restau- 
rants in the environs of the city, and afterwards the party broke 
up into groups and strolled in various directions to pass away the 
time as best they might until the hour of return. Clara and 
Becker strolled away together. Whatever took place, Becker 
never told his friends, but Clara did not return to the Grand 



OUR POLICE. 499 

Hotel, and three days later Joe Elliott and Ivan Siscovitch joined 
Becker and Clara in Florence. The jeweler obtained a divorce 
when he returned to this country. Clara remained with Becker 
for nearly a year — until he was imprisoned in Smyrna. 

It was while Becker and his gang were in Florence that he 
concocted one of his most extensive schemes of swindling. 
Turkey was then a comparatively undiscovered country to Amer- 
ican criminals. It had been avoided, mainly because there was 
little ready money and the penalties were extreme. But Becker 
believed in his luck and his companions believed in him, so 
when he suggested Turkey as the scene of their next operations 
a ready assent was obtained. The plan was to flood the larger 
cities of the country with forged drafts upon the leading bankers 
in Constantinople. The blank drafts were obtained by Becker 
by his cunning and then his skill as an engraver came into play. 
The drafts were not good specimens of the graver's art and it was 
a very easy thing for him to imitate them, even in the errors. 
He did this with such remarkable success that when they were 
produced in court, experts were unable to tell the false from the 
genuine. The scheme worked very well for a time and Charles 
and Clara, the latter of whom had lost the feeling of delicacy 
she once professed of loving a thief, were luxuriating amidst 
their surroundings. The party of swindlers got as far as Smyrna, 
when one of them, Chapman it is said, by a blunder drew the 
attention of the Turkish police to their presence in the city. 
The police in the various provinces had been warned against a 
party of American sharpers, and Becker, Chapman, Elliott, and 
Siscovitch were arrested on suspicion. They were held for 
nearly a month until the evidence was obtained against them, and 
then they were tried and sentenced to three years and six 
months' imprisonment. The prison was typical of oriental jails. 
It had the appearance of being strong, but Becker knew better, 
and he had almost succeeded in getting his body through his cell 
window when some inquisitive guards prodded him with their 
bayonets and made him get back again. The warning was suffi- 
cient for the Turkish authorities. They did not care to have the 
Americans escape singly, so the police sent them all to the great 



500 OUR POLICE. 

prison at Constantinople. When he got there, Becker was 
informed by Mrs. Siscovitch that Clara had got tired of waiting 
for him and had returned to America again, taking with her 
about §8,000 belonging to him. But Becker by this time had 
begun to estimate Clara at her true worth and he did not grieve 
very much. His only ambition now was to get out of the prison 
and follow the woman to America and punish her. Here as in 
Smyrna the prison was a formidable looking structure without, 
but to such experts as Becker and his gang were, it did not 
appear impossible to get away from it. The walls, however, 
were four feet in thickness, the cells had solid iron doors and the 
windows were grated with steel bars an inch and a half square. 
It was many years afterwards that Becker told of his and his 
companions' escape from Constantinople. The story is character- 
istic of the man. It is as follows : 

" The cell doors locked with top and bottom bolts, and though 
each had its key there was a general key that fitted all of them. 
A key like that is useful, you know, and it was by the merest 
accident that we got one. It happened one day that the prison 
marshal, a fat little Turk, came rushing in to have a prisoner 
sign some papers, and he then rushed out again leaving the pass 
key sticking in the door. It wasn't very long before we had an 
impression of it and it was back in the lock again. After getting 
the shape of the key we had Mrs. Siscovitch bring us two blank 
keys, some little files, some Turkish caps, and three lanterns. 
Chapman, Elliott, and I were in one cell and Siscovitch was in 
with some sailors around the corner of the corridor. I was the 
last man to be locked up at night, so when we were all ready and 
I had put enough rope where it was wanted, I stepped around and 
unlocked the door of Siscovitch's cell and then went back to be 
locked up. At about midnight when the guards were quietly 
snoring, Siscovitch got out of his cell and unlocked our door. 
Chapman was asleep and we didn't awaken him for if we had 
he'd have hollered ' murder !' and spoiled our plans. We broke 
open the store-room, got our clothing and then found our way 
into the prison yard. The prison wall was forty-two feet high 
but we boosted Elliott up to an archway and with the aid of 



OUR POLICE. 501 

a rope managed to get up to the top. As luck would have it 
Elliott stepped on the wire of the prison bell and set it jingling 
in a way that froze us stiff. We, however, had fooled with that 
bell before and the keeper with whose room the wire communi- 
cated, if he woke, must have concluded it was another joke and 
have gone asleep again. We fixed the rope and down it we 
scrambled. 

"Another trouble then confronted us. We woke up about 
sixty Mohammedan dogs, and I never heard curs bark louder. 
When we had lighted our lanterns the dogs stopped howling. 
Finally after a night's wandering and many narrow escapes from 
recapture by patrols, we got settled down with Mrs. Siscovitch. 
Soon a Greek friend appeared and kept us concealed in his house 
for two months. I sent Elliott to England after some money, 
and when he came back we all went to London. Mrs. Siscovitch 
was arrested and held for awhile but got off and joined her 
husband in London." 

Becker does not tell in this narrative what excitement there 
was in Constantinople when it was discovered that the three 
Americans had escaped. For more than a day the streets were 
doubly patroled and domiciliary visits were made in all suspected 
houses. When the patrol came to Mrs. Siscovitch's house, the 
officers found four women instead of poor lone Mrs. Siscovitch. 
The three visitors were the escaped prisoners, but the patrol were 
not sufficiently acquainted with the fugitives to enable them to 
recognize them. It was the most serious experience of Becker's 
life. But the patrol and the danger passed by and the three 
American sharpers were safe. 

The trip to England was uneventful, and when the forgers 
landed on English soil they again had the world before them, 
Becker again having the opportunity of reforming and leading an 
honest life. But the little Carl who sat on the banks of the 
Spree and waited for his sister was gone forever. In his stead 
there had come the determined rogue, one of the most desperate 
and villainous of his crew, a man known to the police in every 
part of the world as an unmitigated rascal. Again he had an 
opportunity, and instead of doing good he became involved in a 



502 OUR POLICE. 

dastardly murder — the killing of a woman, the wife of one of his 
friends. When the party arrived in London the three forgers 
went directly to Mrs. Chapman's house. They had left her hus- 
band in a Turkish prison, it was true, but this did not abash 
them. Becker declared that Mrs. Chapman greeted them kindly, 
and taking them in did all that a human being could do for their 
comfort. They lived in comparative comfort for awhile. Their 
lives, however, had been so eventful in the past that the necessity 
of being respectable began to be irksome for them, and Becker 
and Elliott left Mrs. Chapman's house. Siscovitch remained, 
ostensibly waiting for his wife. One morning, about two months 
after the party arrived in London, the papers contained articles 
describing the mysterious murder of Mrs. Chapman, wife of a 
notorious criminal then serving a term in a Turkish prison. The 
articles also said that much valuable jewelry and a considerable 
amount of money belonging to the murdered woman were missing. 
The woman, according to the belief of the police in both this 
country and England, was killed because her silence was neces- 
sary for the safety of the three men, and as she was angry 
because her husband had been left behind by his friends, the 
forgers lived in constant dread lest she should inform the police 
of their whereabouts. The three drew lots as to who should 
commit the murder, and Siscovitch was the one chosen. It was 
easier for him to commit the crime, too, because he still remained 
in the house. On the day after the killing Siscovitch was miss- 
ing, and soon Becker and Elliott received word from him that he 
had sailed for America. The two rogues did not remain in 
England long after their confederate. They sailed for home in 
July, 1876. 

Becker had been in New York only about four months when 
he met a very pretty girl at the house of one of his friends in 
Brooklyn. She was quiet and ladylike, and Becker had had 
sufficient experience with the faithless Clara to make him appre- 
ciate these charms of refinement in a woman. Despite his years 
of adventure and dissipation, Becker was a fine-looking man and 
a bright talker. The little Brooklyn girl captivated him, and he 
in turn exerted his powers upon her. He was successful, and he 



OUIl POLICE. 5U3 

won her in the guise of a fairly prosperous broker, as he face- 
tiously termed himself. Her family did not approve of the mar- 
riage merely because of some, to them, unaccountable prejudice 
against him. That Becker was and still is devoted to this 
woman there is little doubt. She now knows his true character 
but she refuses to abandon him. The forger and his innocent 
little wife lived together in Brooklyn for nearly a year very hap- 
pily, he, according to his assertions, going to Wall street every 
morning to transact his business, but in reality going to a house 
-on the East side of New York, where he was engaged in forging 
a check for $64,000 on the Union Trust Company. In the early 
part of 1877 the check was perfected, and Becker, riding down 
to Wall street in a cab Avith a liveried driver, ascended the steps 
of the Union Trust Company and presented the forged draft. 
The imitation of the genuine check was so perfect, and the 
amount not being large for the signer of the check to draw, the 
cashier paid it without much hesitancy. Becker leaped into his 
cab again and drove to the East side rendezvous, where he was 
joined by Joe Elliott and Clement Herring. There the division 
took place and Becker was in funds again. It was not until the 
check had gone through the clearing house that the forgery was 
discovered, and by that time the men had had ample opportunity 
to leave the city ; but the resources of the police force were called 
upon, and not in vain. On April 10, 1877, Becker, Elliott and 
Herring were arrested by Captain Allaire and a squad of police 
from the Fourteenth precinct. They were inhabiting a house in 
One Hundred and Seventy-seventh street with Siscovitch and his 
wife, Becker going to and fro every morning and evening to his 
wife in Brooklyn. It was a nest of counterfeiters and forgers 
that Captain Allaire pulled down, for with his prisoners he 
brought to the police station a truck load of presses, lithographic 
stones, instruments, graver's tools and the like. He also found 
a genuine Ohio and Toledo Railway bond and some San Domingo 
dollar bills, on which the gang had been evidently working. 
With the bond and notes was a quantity of blank paper cut the 
proper shapes to be used in the forgeries. The gang was im- 
prisoned for trial for considerable time, when Becker consented 



504 OUR POLICE. 

to become State's evidence, after his wife had spent all of her time 
trying to persuade him to do this — and he was liberated. 

For three years Becker remained as nearly a respectable citizen 
as his former life and associations would allow him. He abandoned 
all sorts of dissipation, remained devoted to his wife and home, 
and came very nearly recovering the respect for himself without 
which all reform is temporary and illusionary. He declares that 
his wife very nearly made a good man of him. She should have 
continued her good work, no doubt, and thoroughly redeemed 
him, but when one considers that despite Becker's villainous 
career the little woman loved him, that his will dominated hers 
completely, that his wish was in every case hers, the wonder is 
that instead of instilling a bit of her own goodness into her hus- 
band, Mrs. Becker did not break bonds and become as evil a mem- 
ber of society as Charles. Becker's former associates persisted in 
their persuasions that he was losing his time and that they could 
not possibly get along without him in their operations. Finally 
Joe Elliott, who was always his evil genius, called on Charles 
and laid before him what was one of the most gigantic criminal 
schemes that an American criminal ever conceived. It was to 
swindle almost every well-known banking house in Europe by 
means of forged drafts and the like. The most notorious forgers 
and counterfeiters in the world were interested in the scheme, 
and were willing to aid its accomplishment by the contribution 
of their money or their services. And besides, as Elliott put it, 
Becker need not of necessity leave his little home in Brooklyn. 
He could do his work there ; in fact it Avould be better for him 
to do so, as it would not concentrate the work in any one city or 
country. 

" Give me time to think over the matter, Joe," answered 
Becker. " I'll let you know my decision in a week." 

The seven days that Becker spent in considering the scheme 
and the chances of its being carried out, and in controlling the 
urgent request of his wife to refuse to listen to Elliott, were per- 
haps the most serious of his life. It was during this time that 
the first streaks of silver began to show in his black hair. The 
struggle of the good was very bitter, but the evil had obtained 



OUR POLICE. 505 

too strong a foothold and conquered. Becker sent a dispatch to 
Elliott, who was then in New Haven, saying : 

"I consent. Come on and see me." 

The same day that this message was sent Elliott appeared at 
the little house in Brooklyn and the final details of the swindle 
were arranged. 

* * % 'C- >r * 

There was a party of four Americans staying at the Hotel de 
Nuova York, in Florence, Italy, in December, 1880, which 
created not a little interest among the other guests in that 
pleasant hostelry. It was composed of two men and their wives. 
The register bore the names of Willis and wife and Colbert 
and wife of New York. Their baggage was extensive and they 
always seemed to be well supplied with money. The dressing 
of the women, while not in the strictest mode, was rich and 
not inelegant. The party was apparently bent upon pleasure, 
but their amusements took the somewhat eccentric turn of con- 
tinually riding into the country about Florence and sometimes 
remaining at a little villa which they had rented, for a half a 
week at a time. They were in receipt of large quantities of 
mail from America, and one day when a maid was cleaning up 
one of the rooms in the suite the New Yorkers occupied, she dis- 
covered a small but beautifully engraved copper plate. She was 
looking at it, when Mrs. Colbert entered and snatching it away 
from her, exclaimed : 

" You huzzy, what are you looking at ? " 

The maid was so frightened at this experience that she ran 
down stairs so fast as to fall and break her collar bone, which 
Mr. Colbert paid the fees for setting and caused fifty dollars to be 
given to the girl as a bolus to her injuries. 

The trips to the country and occasional evening rows on the 
Arno made the stay in Florence very pleasant until Christmas 
day, when five gentlemen clothed in the severest black called at 
the Hotel de Nuova York and asked to see Signori Willis and 
Colbert. The two gentlemen referred to had their visitors sum- 
moned to one of their parlors and there awaited them. As the 



506 OUR POLICE. 

first cf the five gentlemen in black entered, Mr. Colbert sprang 
to his feet and exclaimed : 

" By heavens, George, they've got us ! " 

" Certainly Messieurs," was the reply, "you are our prisoners." 

"What is the charge?" inquired Mr. Willis with considerable 
anxiety. 

" You are arrested on the suspicion of forging Tunisian and 
French securities for the purpose of swindling banking houses 
in Italy, and you have already issued nearly 1,000,000 francs 
worth of the bad paper." 

" Oh," said Colbert coolly, " and that is what you think. Now 
what are you going to do with us ? " 

"Punish you," was the brief reply. 

Scarcely had this party been arrested in Florence, than the 
police of Milan captured an American who was living in that 
city under the name of Joy Julius. He had put nearly $500,000 
worth of securities in circulation. When these arrests were 
made the American Consul at Naples immediately telegraphed to 
Inspector Byrnes of New York, asking him if he could recognize 
either of the men arrested. Within forty-eight hours the Consul 
received the following cablegram : 

Yes ; Colbert is " Shell " Hamilton ; Harry Willis is George Wilkes and 
Julius is " Pete " Byrnes. All notorious forgers and counterfeiters on a job in 
Italy. BYRNES. 

Inspector Byrnes as soon as he had received the cable despatch 
from the consul went to work in his own behalf. He discovered 
by his shadowing system that he had not long ago introduced, that 
Charles Becker, although it was believed generally among the 
Brooklyn police that he was leading a quiet life, was with George 
Engells, the ring-leader of the gang which had operated so suc- 
cessfully in Europe. He discovered that the combination of 
rogues had floated nearly $800,000 worth of bogus paper in the 
European money markets. The scheming was done, Inspector 
Byrnes declares, by Joe Elliott, George Engells and Charles 
Becker. Wilkes was sent to England with Pete Byrnes and they 
were soon followed by Engells and Becker. In May, 1880, a 
go-between, in company with "Bill" Bartlett, the highwayman, 



OUR POLICE. 507 

Henry Wilson, George Bell and Henry Geary started for London 
with the intention of aiding their predecessors in the circulation 
of the counterfeits. While in London, Bartlett, Bell, Wilson and 
Geary ran short of funds and returned to New York in July. 
While crossing the ocean Wilson occasioned considerable amuse- 
ment among his companions by forging a check and swindling the 
steamship captain out of one hundred pounds. This money the 
gang used up in champagne, of which they drank so much that 
when they reached the pier in New York they were all so intoxi- 
cated that they had to be carried, ashore. They were all under the 
protection of the notorious forger, Charles 0. Brockway, however, 
and when he learned of their arrival he took charge of them and 
sent them to Baltimore, where on July 16 they passed three 
forged checks on the Merchants' National Bank and two on the 
Third National Bank. The gang were arrested ten days after 
this adventure. 

Yery shortly after this Becker and Engells returned from 
Europe. Inspector Byrnes was told of their coming from the 
other side of the ocean, and when they set foot on these shores 
they had " shadows " after them. The detectives finally located 
the two forgers at a house in Williamsburg, N. Y., near the 
Cypress Hills Cemetery. Inspector Byrnes then detailed De- 
tectives Slevin, Rielly, Lanthier and 0' Conner to arrest the men. 
The officers started out on their quest and found the house in 
which the forgers had secreted themselves in the midst of an open 
lot. The detectives were obliged to lie in wait nearly fourteen 
hours before Engells appeared and was arrested. A day and a 
half afterwards the officers saw a little gray-bearded old man 
leave the place and go towards the railway. They followed him, 
and just as he was boarding a car to the ferries they arrested him. 
They soon stripped him of his disguise and found Charles Becker. 
The two men were imprisoned and attempts were made to extra- 
dite them by the French government. But the evidence against 
them was not sufficiently strong and they were released after 
spending about one month in jail. Becker immediately settled 
<lown with his wife in Brooklyn again, and to all intents led a 
comparatively honest life for nearly a month. But during this 



503 OUR POLICE. 

time he was 3 very busy man. He was engaged on a job which 
landed him in prison ana Kept him there for six years, giving him 
his first real taste of prison-life. 

Becker went down to Wall street in the latter part of August, 
1881, and invested about $200 in a 1,000 franc note of the Bank 
of France. This he tucked into his wallet with great care, lest 
it should show any crease, and started over to East New York, 
where his friends had established an extensive counterfeiting 
establishment for him while he was in jail. He and a man named 
Nathan Marks, a constable of East New York, were, so far as 
could be ascertained, the only persons involved in the crime. 
While Becker was working Marks would act as a guard, for 
Becker had become so well known by this time that private 
police were essential to him. In this little cottage after nearly 
four weeks of work Becker had almost finished what was perhaps 
the most perfect counterfeit ever made. He was on September 
1 6, spending the evening with his wife in his sister-in-law's house 
in Van Sicklen avenue, when he was summoned into the recep- 
tion room to meet two detectives who had been informed, it is 
believed, by some of his wife's relatives of the work he had been 
engaged on. Becker protested vehemently against arrest, but 
the proofs against him were found in his work-shop and he was 
tried. The president of the Bank of France came to this country 
as a witness against the forger, and in the course of his testimony, 
while inspecting the nearly completed note, said that had it been 
completed it would have been more perfect than the original. 
Becker's career had become so notorious that the intent to defraud 
was counted against him in the evidence and he was sentenced to 
serve six years and six months in the King's county penitentiary. 

When he entered, however, he made the boast that he would 
not remain long, as he was "too valuable a man" to be deprived 
of his liberty. His friends made a similar threat, but the King's 
county penitentiary does not resemble the Constantinople one in 
the management, and Becker was held fast. He began his sentence 
on December 14, 1881, and in the following February he made 
a bold attempt to secure his liberty. Becker had many friends 
call upon him, and these friends usually came to him when they 



OUR POLICE. 509 

could converse with him through the cell door only. One day- 
Warden Green received private information from the outside that 
Charles Becker was planning an escape, and that in consequence 
his cell had better be searched. The warden followed this sug- 
gestion with excellent results. Under the ticking in the mattress 
were found two keys, one to Becker's cell door and the other to 
the doors of the corridor. He was confronted with the evidence 
of his intention and asked if he recognized the keys. 

u Yes," he replied; "I was weary of this place. I wanted 
to get out to take a little stroll." 

" Who procured them for you ?" 

" Well, you must think me a chump ! None of your business. 

For this attempt to shorten his imprisonment Becker's com- 
mutation for good behavior was decreased. He always, after this 
discovery, acted in the most exemplary manner, and the way he 
did his work in the shoe shop attested to his intention of being 
a good prisoner. His wife during the term of his imprisonment 
was devoted to him, continually sending him little delicacies and 
appearing at the office regularly on visiting days. When he was 
liberated on June 14, 1887, his little blonde-haired wife was 
waiting for him in the prison reception-room. As her husband 
appeared she sprang towards him, threw her arms around his 
neck and sobbed : 

" Charley, Charley, dear, you are mine once more ! You'll 
be good now, won't you, dear ?" 

"Yes, pet; I'll try to be," was his answer. 

The forger's wife turned towards Warden Green, who was 
standing near and said : 

" You hear, Mr. Green; Charley says he is going to be good 
now. Isn't that kind to his wife ?" 

" I trust to God, madam," was the warden's reply, " that your 
husband will keep his word. Good-bye, Charley, my boy." 



510 OUR POLICE. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

A Forgers' Raid. 

THE HISTORY OF THE OPERATIONS OF BROCKWAY'S GANG OF 

FORGERS IN BALTIMORE IN 1880. REMARKABLE CONSPIRACY 

TO ROB THE CITY'S GREAT BANKING INSTITUTIONS. THE 

SWINDLERS GET AWAY WITH MORE THAN $10,000 FROM TWO 

BANKS. PURSUIT AND CAPTURE OF THE CRIMINALS. — THE 

FORGERS IN PRISON AT LAST. — THE DROP GAME. 

Crime is progressive. That its disciples are enterprising is 
attested by the amazing improvements almost daily made on 
accepted inventions for surreptitiously gaining the property of 
others. The very highest art in mechanism, genius in science, 
and prowess in planning, are judiciously blended in the one pur- 
pose, and from them are evolved schemes of such brilliant daring 
and wonderful workmanship as excite regret that the wasted 
forces have been lost to the world for better ends. 

The days of Robin Hood, Claude Duval, Sir Toby Belch, and 
Nitouche have passed away, and instead of their commonplace 
" stand and deliver" plan, which required only boldness and 
courage to secure the money bags, has succeeded an era of polished 
knavery so closely interwoven with what is commendable that 
it requires a keen grade of mental discernment to detect it from 
the genuine good. As in crime, so in the ramifications of justice 
intended to combat it : the progress of the one has been followed 
by the advancement of the other. 

The professional rogues of America are the equals of their 
fellows in any other part of the globe. This is so because of the 
intricate character of American civilization, and of the manifold 
commercial interests here at stake, elements that have a tendency 
to school the minds of those criminally inclined, and to disclose 
opportunities to plunder sufficiently seductive to induce the risk 
of liberty. The private fiduciary responsibilities and the public 



OUR POLICE. 511 

trusts of every large city are such powerful incentives to the de- 
velopment of the thief's arts that crimes are perpetrated oftener 
against public and corporate property than against private pos- 
sessions, The bravest and boldest rascals generally devote their 
energies in this country to depredations upon institutions of a 
public character. 

Of all the classes of criminals there is none that have displayed 
greater intelligence or cleverer facilities for working illegal injury 
to the moneyed holdings of the people than the forgers. They 
are the bane of the business world. Vaults of steel and armors 
of electrical appliances may guard in the night the wealth of 
men, but no guaranty of security can be offered the individual, 
in broad daylight, against the machinations of the artist, whose 
ability enables him to so accurately counterfeit the agencies of 
commercial intercourse as to deceive even those who have 
originated such mediums. The forger must be accorded a 
niche in the temple of criminal fame as high as that of any 
other law-breaker, who brings all the attributes of an in- 
ventive mind and the adroitness of skilled hands to the 
work of his trade. In him the art of the mechanic is com- 
pounded with an accurate knowledge of human nature ; the 
skill of the artist who can use his scientific tools is rein- 
forced by the learning of the chemist and the mathematician. 
The hand that can execute the finest sort of tracing can as readily 
detect the composition of inks. In a word, the expert forger is 
an inventor, a designer, an engraver, a chemist, a mathematician, 
an artist and a mechanic. At the start his resources are put into 
play, for if he be unable to get samples of the paper used by the 
bank or firm whose checks he intends to counterfeit, he is com- 
pelled, when he knows he will have to deal with keen-sighted 
men, to manufacture his sheets. The paper for his imitation 
may be of linen, or have silk woven through its fibres, or be of a 
kind made solely for the use of some certain establishment. All 
these difficulties he must surmount by his inventive tact. Again, 
his dies and his other tools must be of his own or his accomplice's 
make, since to buy them would give a clue toward his detection. 
As a lithographer he can take an impression from stone and en- 



512 OUR POLICE. 

grave it on a steel or copper plate to fill his blank. His are the 
qualities of patience, prudence, and ingenuity. Prison life does 
not subdue his talents. It may shut them out from the progress 
of his profession, but too often it only matures their keenness. 
Such are the characteristics of men who have earned for them- 
selves reputations for being great forgers. Charles 0. Brockway 
is unquestionably the foremost forger of America and the equal 
of any of his kith across the water. His was the most successful 
gang of its kind that ever traveled the States, succeeding as they 
did in victimizing banks to the extent of at least $500,000. The 
history of this band reads like a romance. Men of infinite cun- 
ning, men of consummate boldness, men who had the prison mark 
time and again stamped on them, the Brockway gang represented 
the pick of the criminal profession, bound together by the honor 
of thieves for the purpose of plundering the people through the 
forgeries devised by their wily leader. Well fitted was Brockway 
for his work. From the very day he reached manhood's estate 
in his native city of New York, twenty-six years ago, his life has 
been one of continued crime. His quality of holding others to 
him by his superior individuality has had much to do with his 
success. No man was used by him whose will was not submissive 
to his, and in return for such allegiance the noted forger gave 
unswerving friendship and financial aid when the hour of distress 
arrived. Thus it was that George Bell, Albert Wilson, Henry 
Cleary, William Ogle, George Hamill, William Bartlett and 
Charles Farren, a coterie of sneaks and burglars, possessing all 
the essential qualifications for " laying down" the " stuff" which 
Brockway produced, were singly and in numbers, at various times 
before and during 1880, under his control. It was only in the 
latter year that the forces were recruited and the gang as named 
fully organized. 

Bell, a highwayman who had served time in the Eastern Pen- 
itentiary of Pennsylvania for grabbing a package of money from 
the hands of a bank messenger in Philadelphia during the Cen- 
tennial year; "Al." Wilson, burglar and shoplifter; Henry 
Cleary and William Bartlett, burglars, arrived from England 
after an unsuccessful trip to that country. They had gone there 



OUR POLICE. bi.6 

at the invitation of George Wilkes, the notorious forger, to 
operate for a company of American and French forgers who had 
invented a method by which the banking houses of Europe could 
be defrauded on a gigantic scale by means of spurious circular 
notes. Identified with Wilkes in the management of this scheme 
were Dan Noble, who with Brockway kept a faro game in New 
York at one time, George Engells and Charles Becker, known to 
every detective as most skillful check imitators. Hardly had 
they reached England before Bell, Cleary, Bartlett, and Wilson 
were deputized to visit Brussels, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Berlin, 
Hamburg, Cologne, Aix-la-chapelle, Milan, Turin, Florence, 
Geneva, and Bremen, with instructions to procure drafts from 
merchants of those cities on their correspondents in London. 
They had brought with them from America a letter of credit to 
the Societie Generate of Brussels, and with this as a " blind" 
started out on their mission. While at their work, each having 
a route of his own to cover, Dan Noble passed a forged check on 
a London bank and was arrested. Just as the trio reached there, 
after completing the duties assigned, Noble was sentenced to 
twenty years imprisonment at hard labor. His extreme punish- 
ment, coupled with information Wilkes received that the New 
Yor]c police had disclosed their presence to the English author- 
ities frightened the others, and the whole job was abandoned. 
Bell, Cleary, Bartlett, and Wilson were each given £2 and sent 
back to the United States with their passages paid. This little 
fund of money they had did not last long. The Fourth of July 
overtook them riding on the ocean's foamy crest without a shilling 
in their pockets. But their patriotism was not to be quenched so 
easily. Smiling and plausible, they approached the captain of 
the vessel and whispered to him in confidence a tale, which so 
impressed him that he advanced them £50 in order that they might 
appropriately commemorate the birthday of their nation. They 
enjoyed a glorious celebration. When the steamship touched her 
New York pier the quartette quickly disappeared. It is needless 
to say that the captain never saw his fifty pounds again. The 
criminals were once again free to seek their favorite haunts ; to 
roam the land for spoils. 



514 OUR POLICE. 

On a pleasant morning toward the end of June, 1880, a hand- 
some man, in the prime of life, elegantly dressed, and wearing a 
well- trimmed beard, entered a well-known drinking place kept 
by a man named Reilly, not far from the City Hall in the city of 
New York, and requested the barkeeper to serve him a glass of 
sherry. As the attendant turned to fetch a bottle from a buffet 
ledge behind him the patron looked cautiously over his shoulder 
in tho direction of a group of customers who stood conversing at 
one end of the saloon and eyed them critically for an instant. 
Besides himself and the barkeeper, they were the only ones in the 
place. His sharp, quick glance, expressive alike of expectation 
and disappointment was in marked contrast to the leisurely man- 
ner assumed as he sipped the wine set before him. With an air of 
composure he paid for his drink and sauntered into the street. 
Even the practised observer could detect nothing in his manner 
foreign to the appearance of a well-to-do merchant. It would have 
been as far from the minds of any of the hundreds of individuals 
who passed, busy with their own affairs, to suspect that the man 
they saw was Charles 0. Brockway, faro dealer, counterfeit money 
handler, and renowned forger, as it would have been for them to 
think that the athletic-looking young man, who approached him 
from an opposite direction with a look of recognition, was a thief s 
companion. Brockway it was though, and the fellow who ac- 
costed him was his protege, Charles Farren, just finding his way 
into police notoriety in consequence of the frequency with which 
he was found in the society of known criminals. The pair had 
agreed to meet at Reilly's, where they had frequently gone before, 
but Farren being late, Brockway was going in search of him. 
Together they walked along, chatting in subdued tones. Said 
Brockway : 

" Made up your mind to do it ?" 

" Certainly; I'll go over," replied his companion ; " there aint 
any danger." 

" None in the least," assured the forger ; " the play is common 
enough. When will you go ?" 

" Whenever you say." , 



OUR POLICE. 515 

" All right. Start to-morrow. I'll give you the stuff to-night. 
You know how to work it." 

"Yes." 

" Be careful not to go in on the jump. Wait till things open 
up; then lay down. Get paper, you understand." 

An affirmative nod of the head was Farren's answer, and so 
they talked and strolled until they were lost in the surging 
crowds of the great city. 

That conversation indexed the history of the forgeries perpe- 
trated on the Merchants' and the Third National Banks of Balti- 
more by Brockway and his satellites, whereby they managed to 
get from the former institution $7,455, and from the latter 
$2,690.50. 

The great forger had selected the Monumental City as the 
scene of his operations. The details were carefully mapped out ; 
the first and important one of which was that the check of some 
prominent banker or firm should be obtained that it might be 
counterfeited, and the imitation passed for a large sum on the 
bank where the face of the original indicated the account was 
kept. Brockway knew the names of several prominent banking 
firms of the city, including Messrs. J. Harmanus Fisher & Co., 
Middendorf & Oliver, D. Fahnestock & Co., Wilson, Colston & 
Co., Roche & Coulter, and William Fisher & Sons, whose checks 
he intended securing. The sequel will show that he succeeded 
to the extent of only one-half of his expectations. 

The extensive scale of the proposed fraud surpassed anything 
of the kind ever attempted in Baltimore. Had it not been inter- 
rupted by the refusal of some of the firms to deal with strangers 
the loss of more than $10,000 would have been many times 
greater. A check of a banker was the initial requisite. Hence 
it was that Brockway instructed Farren to obtain one. Mr. J. 
Harmanus Fisher, whose office was on South street near German 
street, was selected as the first whose paper was wanted. The 
admonitions of Brockway to Farren, as applied to this case were 
that the latter should go to Mr. Fisher's and tender for sale the 
"stuff," which in this instance was a $50 United States Govern- 
ment bond, and ask for a check in payment. As a precaution. 



516 OUR POLICE. 

Farren was not to enter the office until a couple of hours after 
business for the day was commenced, the point involved being 
that an early caller ran greater risk of identification and suspicion 
lin subsequent trouble than one who called after many faces had 
been presented to the view of the clerks. The night of the day 
of their conference Brockway gave the bond to Farren. Bright 
and clear was the morning of June 18, 1880, when a young 
man of stout build quitted the office of J. Harmanus Fisher, 
at about eleven o'clock, with a check for §54.13 in his 
pocketbook, in return for a §50 bond he sold to the banker. 
The seed had been sown and the harvest was soon to be 
reaped. The next day Brockway, from the hands of Farren, re- 
ceived the check, which was lithographed by A. Hoen & Co., of 
this city, and bore in its centre in buff colors the internal revenue 
stamp. He was no longer seen idly parading the streets, or 
visiting his former haunts, for work was before him of such deli- 
cate and intricate character that the closest attention was neces- 
sary for its execution. Hid away from the world in quarters he 
had engaged in Providence, R. I., he labored assiduously in the 
production of his duplicate. One week from the day Farren 
first came to Baltimore on his nefarious mission he got possession 
of checks from Messrs. Middendorf & Oliver and D. Fahnestock 
& Co. There was nothing strange in the transactions, for it was 
an almost daily occurrence for persons to sell bonds to these 
firms. Into Brockway's hands all the checks went, and from his 
skill came forth imitations so cleverly engraved that the aid of a 
magnifying glass was necessary to unveil their difference from 
the originals. The lithographers themselves were unable to dis- 
cern with naked eye the parts of divergence, save in the color 
of the revenue stamp, which was a shade darker in the counter- 
feit than in the genuine. The workmanship was of such high 
order, the private stamps, numbers, the lithographer's imprint at 
the bottom, even the die used by Mr. Fisher for punching the 
amount of the check, were brought out so intelligently as to baffle 
detection by those used to handling the bona fide checks daily. 
Brockway had done the task well, and he was giving it the finish- 
ing touches when the news reached him that Bell, Cleary, Wilson, 



OUR POLICE. 517 

and Bartlett had landed in New York. The information upset 
his minor plans ; withal it was glad tidings. Instead now of 
having to rely on Billy Ogle and George Hamill, who on calmer 
consideration Brockway was inclined to believe were too well 
known in the East, and Farren, a novice, he was in a position to 
dicker with the new arrivals, and organize them, with those he 
already had, into a formidable " mob." One of his first questions 
was in reference to the financial standing of the tourists, and 
when told by the harbinger of current doings that they were 
" dead broke," he saw the last barrier to his success swept away. 
Accordingly he came on to New York and met his future allies. 
They were eager for a job, and listened readily to his proposi- 
tions. By his advice they made Reilly's saloon their rendezvous. 
At certain hours every morning for a week the entire gang would 
visit the place in twos and threes, and, after a social glass, depart. 
Those who saw them thought the men doing business in that 
locality. During this time Brockway was perfecting his arrange- 
ments, until on the morning of Thursday, July 15, 1880, he 
announced to his companions that all was consummated. The 
report was hailed with delight, for funds were low. The chief, 
who asserted his authority from the start, and whose right to do 
so no one questioned, said further that a "backer" had been 
secured, who would put up money for expenses and legal counsel, 
as customary when a thoroughly regulated gang goes on the road, 
to defend any member of it who might be entrapped in the net 
of the law. 

" Furthermore," said Brockway, "we will leave Billy and 
George behind (meaning Ogle and Hamill) to look out for snags, 
and I will go down to Baltimore with the rest of you this after- 
noon ; but before we trip it, suppose we settle the stakes." 

" Take what you want," laconically spoke Bell. 

"If we flash up anything I want one-half the whole pile. Is 
it a go?" 

The others agreed it was. The demand seemed exorbitant at 
first glance, but longer thought showed it to be only a fair division 
with the man who not alone chanced his liberty, but to whose 
arm and head were due the essential step to victory. This done 



518 OUR POLICE. 

the remainder of the prospective winnings was to be parted into 
halves, one of which was to go to the "backer" and the other 
to be apportioned equally among the "layers down." All 
being in readiness Brockway and his men embarked for Balti- 
more. The resumption of business in this city, on the morning 
of July 16, found the accessories patiently awaiting their re- 
spective opportunities to pounce on the offices that were to furnish 
them, innocently, the firms' signatures and figures wherewith 
to impose on the banks. Brockway knew that Cleary and Farren 
were the best for his purpose. Both were quick and ready of 
speech and action, smacking of the commercial order, and innately 
polite. A few words of explanation and they entered on the dis- 
charge of their duties. Cleary made the first move. In he 
stepped briskly to the counting-room of J. Harmanus Fisher and 
tendered for sale a §100 United States bond, four per cent., to 
Mr. Harry Orrick, the chief clerk, now a member of the firm of 
Orrick & May, stock brokers. The offer was accepted and Cleary 
paid partly cash and the balance in a §51 check on the Merchants' 
National Bank, payable to George Hunter. 

Without further ado he left the office and went directly to that 
of D. Fahnestock, a few doors removed, where he repeated his 
operation and was given another check for §54, this time drawn 
to the order of Samuel E. Hunt, and §50 in cash. In the mean- 
while Farren was not idle. He had gone to Middendorf & Oliver's 
with three §100 bonds of the same issue as those used by his co- 
temporary. For one of them he obtained in return all cash, and 
for the others checks for §51 in favor of Henry Murdock and 
George W. Kimball, and treasury bills. This division of the 
work accomplished they sought their source, who was waiting on 
Exchange Place, and to him they handed their receipts. Armed 
with these Brockway went off to a hotel where he alone had a 
room, to press his die and pen into service. The checks gave him 
the signatures of their makers and the numbers of the checks 
of the firms for that day, everything that was needed to aid him 
in completing the make-up of his forged orders. While he was 
doing this, Cleary and Farren made a round of these same offices 
shortly after dinner and bought back the bonds they sold in the 



OUR POLICE. Oiy 

morning, thereby removing any clues which the numbers of the 
securities might present. 

During the interim between the departure of Brockway and 
his return to the corner of South and Lombard streets, where he 
promised to station himself, Bell was loitering around the Second 
street entrance to the post-office and his colleagues, Wilson and 
Bartlett, around the corner of Gay street, They knew when 
their chief would be at his post. He was punctual to the minute, 
and so was Cleary, who was to " lay down" the beginning of 
the series of forged orders. Brockway gave his man one of the 
engraved checks for $1,394, bearing on its front the fictitious 
signature of Middendorf and Oliver. 

"If they don't take it this way," said the chief to Cleary, 
" come out and meet me at the corner above, and I'll shape it." 

" Correct !" was the word from Cleary as he walked alone 
towards the Third National Bank. 

It was two o'clock as he crossed the threshold of the main door. 
The paying teller, Mr. N. B. Medairy, was deep in his accounts 
and did not raise his head until the figure of a person passed the 
opening in the screen in front of him. Then he lifted his eyes 
and saw a well dressed young man approach a desk used by de- 
positors and take from an inside pocket of his cut-away coat a 
check, which he endorsed on the back in the manner of one accus- 
tomed to such doings. With a business air the new comer 
stepped to the counter in front of Mr. Medairy and passed 
through the screen the paper he had just signed. The teller 
read on its face that it was in favor of George W. Kimball and 
that the same name was inscribed on the back. The check was 
regular looking enough, but as a matter of business precaution 
Mr. Medairy said, "you will have to be identified, sir, before I 
can pay you this amount." 

" Oh ! very well," replied Cleary, "just give me the check 
and I'll step around to Middendorf & Oliver's and get their en- 
dorsement." 

The check was once again in his pocket and with it Cleary left 
the bank. At the south-east corner of South and Second streets, 
Brockway had taken up his stand and was on the watch for him. 



520 OUR POLICE. 

No sooner did he make known the trouble than the chief took the 
check and stepped briskly into the cigar and tobacco store of 
H. W. Totebusch and asked of Mr. R. C. Totebusch. a clerk, the 
use of pen and ink. On their being furnished he pushed to a 
far end of a show case and in a minute had the name of Midden- 
dorf & Oliver on the back of the check. The imitation was 
excellent in all respects. Geary again sought the bank and ap- 
peared for the second time before Mr. Medairy, who, all seeming 
satisfactory, paid out $1,394. The " layer down " counted the 
money carefully and, finding it correct, politely thanked the 
teller and left. The first undertaking had progressed so easily 
that Brockway was delighted and determined to push his game 
further through Bell, whom he now summoned and directed to 
u do " the Merchants' National Bank for a like amount. 

" Hit it just before it shuts up," advised the forger. " Here 
you are, all shaped, George, the same as Hen. (meaning Cleary), 
layed down, excepting you've the brace on the back," and he 
gave him another check for $1,394, also drawn to the order of 
George W. Kimball, but in this instance by J. Harmanus Fisher, 
seemingly indorsed by that broker's attorney, H. A. Orrick. 

"Won't be any trouble," said Bell, "the fist is so well known 
and you have covered it nicely. " I'll take Farren with me, 
and he can nose around for tips." 

"While you're inside, George, I'll pipe all the duffers who 
come along," put in Farren, who had strolled up, and heard the 
last sentence of Bell's speech. " If they drop to you, mind, I'll 
give you the go-by." 

" That's proper ; all you have to do if I make a break for the 
outside is not to let them turn me up if you can help it." To- 
gether they went, — the one to his prey, his partner to lounge 
around the building entrance in wait for any indication of police 
interference. 

The hands of the big clock on the City Hall wanted a few 
minutes before striking off the three taps of the bell that were to 
notify the officials of the Merchants' National bank that public 
transactions for the day were ended, when the figure of a tall 
young man, with hollow cheeks and cleanly shaven face broke the 



OUR POLICE. 521 

sunlight in the Second street entrance. He walked straight to 
the window of paying-teller Thomas H. Morris, and with an ex- 
pression of having escaped disappointment, exclaimed as he de- 
posited his check on the desk, "lama little late." 

"Yes, you are late," the teller replied as he noticed what a 
handsome man his vis-a-vis was, in his Prince Albert coat and 
silk hat. "I have sold some bonds to Mr. Fisher," Bell con- 
tinued, " and I would be thankful if you would give me large 
money for this check, as I have some bills to pay up street." 

"I have no large money," Teller Morris explained during his 
scrutiny of the check, " the best I can do will be to give you ten 
dollar notes." 

" That will do, then, thank you," replied the swindler. He 
received the money and was gone. 

Emboldened by the success of his emissaries, Brockway sent a 
messenger for Wilson, who was not far away, ready to be sum- 
moned to do his part. The latter arrived in a few moments. 

" Al, go lay down this billet on the Third National !" ordered 
the arch conspirator. " I think we can take another trick there. 
Work it quick, as it is after banking time. If you can get in on 
the i jays' you'll win, for they'll not 'rap' to you, they will be so 
busy fixing accounts for the day." The "pigeon" flew at once 
to his destination, and reached it at 3.05 o'clock, with a forged 
check to the amount of $1,296.50, payable to Henry Murdock, 
from Middendorf & Oliver. The doors were about being closed. 
The following conversation took place, opened by Wilson as soon 
as he dropped the check into Teller Medairy's palm : 

" Can I reach the First National bank ? I want to deposit 
some money there." 

"I would rather not cash this. My books are closed for 
to-day. I will certify it though, so you can deposit it." 

" That will not do. I need a portion of the money this after- 
noon." Upon this statement, the teller, believing he recognized 
Wilson as a man who had ' had a check honored some time pre- 
viously from Middendorf & Oliver, passed over the amount. 
Two hours later he unearthed a discrepancy in his ledger that he 
was positive came from his giving too much money to the Inst 



522 OUR POLICE. 

caller. To save himself from the loss he slipped into his coat 
and hurried to the office of Middendorf & Oliver, to find the 
address of the man to whom they gave their check for $1,296.50. 
His inquiry was answered by the horrifying announcement that 
the firm knew no such man, nor did they give any checks for 
such sums as Geary and Wilson presented that day. The news of 
the forgeries fell like a thunderbolt on Mr. Medairy, who was 
crestfallen, as any first class teller would be who had been out- 
witted by clever rascals, that he had not the heart to make 
known the raid that night to any of the higher officials of the 
bank. 

That night the gang gloated over their pickings. Instead of 
being satisfied they decided to remain in Baltimore until the next 
morning, Saturday, July 17, when they would resume their 
plundering. The members separated, each to find lodgings for 
himself. Sleep did not come to the eyes of Brockway until he 
had in readiness a second check in the name of Mr. Fisher, signed 
and indorsed by H. A. Orrick, for $3,901.50, that he intended 
Bell should pass on the Merchants' National the following day, 
and one of $2,160 for Wilson to "lay down." 

When the morning came the forger and his men emerged from 
their hiding places. As the needle to the pole, so they sought 
him. Quick and concise were the orders for duty. Bell, it was 
settled, should tackle the Merchants' National again and Bartlett, 
who had been kept in the background, was sent to the office of 
D. Fahnestock & Co., to sell a $100 United States Government 
bond, and ask for a check and cash in payment, as had been done 
the day before with the other two brokers whose names were 
played upon. As soon as the order on the bank where the firm 
deposited, the Western National, on Eutaw street, was secured 
it was to be carried to Brockway to forge the signature and check 
numbers of the Messrs. Fahnestock to one of the engraved dupli- 
cates he had prepared from the copy got in June. 

Meanwhile Wilson visited the Merchants' National Bank and 
got $2,160 for his bogus check. He attacked the bank in the 
busiest moment of the day, and had little difficulty in getting the 
check cashed. 



OUR POLICE. 523 

Bartlett returned in a short time with the check from the 
Messrs. Fahnestock. With his usual facility Brockway had his 
work done by the time Bartlett had made his second visit to the 
Messrs. Fahnestock and bought back with bank notes entirely 
the bond he had so shortly before sold them. Nothing remained 
now to reach the climax but a trip to the Western National Bank, 
and this Bartlett undertook. He tendered a check for $2,670 to 
paying teller Charles Nolting, who refused to credit it, since the 
bearer was unknown to him. The reply came handy ; Bartlett 
would have the Messrs. Fahnestock endorse it. Off he went to 
Brockway to have the accepted move made. In the lapse of as 
many minutes as it would consume to walk at a fair gait from 
Second and South streets to Baltimore and Eutaw streets, Bart- 
lett was before Mr. Nolting again with the endorsed check. The 
teller, however, was obdurate. He said he never paid money 
orders, even when properly indorsed, unless he knew those who 
presented them, and he saw no reason now to alter this rule. 
Nothing was left for Bartlett but to abandon his scheme, and in 
this way his gang was shut out from the perpetration of any of 
their tricks on that bank. Undaunted by the failure of one of 
his projects, Brockway caused the gang to know he would make 
a final effort with his consummate skill, and, win or lose, the 
"mob" would leave the town after it. The daring of Bell and 
his keen-witted style made him a favorite with " the boss." Once 
more he was selected to make the final coup. When he got 
through with it he was $3,901.50 ahead. At eleven o'clock 
promptly, as the merchants, contractors, brokers, and the hun- 
dred-and-one other kinds of depositors who daily seek, in the rush 
of business hours, the accommodation of the Merchants' National 
Bank, were moving to and fro, giving the ordinary observer 
a kaleidoscopic view of restless, bustling, solicitous humanity, 
the man of the day before elbowed his way to the wire opening 
behind which teller Morris was again employed and spoke to him 
thus : 

" I am not late to-day." 

< w No ; you are not late to-day," with emphasis on the last word 
by the teller. 



524 OUR POLICE. 

" I sold some bonds to Mr. Fisher this morning. Will you 
please give me large money ?" 

This time he obtained it, for the check complied in every detail 
with similar requisitions from the office of J. Harmanus Fisher. 
In fact it was such a good imitation that a clerk of Mr. Fisher's, 
Mr. F. Samuel McMurran, who was behind the desk that divides 
the bank employes from visitors, a distance of not more than 
four feet, nodded his head in the affirmative when the teller held 
up the check to his gaze for his opinion as to its genuineness. 
Bell vanished and with him the bank's money. 

A lull in business and Mr. Morris looked over his checks. 
Words are inadequate to express his feelings when, on comparing 
the checks of Mr. Fisher, presented by the strangers with others 
that were received, he first discovered the forgery. Nervously 
the deceived teller reported the facts to the cashier, Major Doug- 
las H. Thomas, who is now president of the bank. The intro- 
duction to the affair then given to Major Thomas was the source 
of his subsequent brilliant action, which enabled the police to 
bring the criminals to justice. The hands that linked the chain 
of evidence around the men whom the penitentiary bars after- 
wards enclosed were those of Cashier Thomas, and to him the 
banking interests of America are indebted for a display of pluck 
and brains that rid the community of the most dangerous organ- 
ization of forgers known in the criminal annals of the country. 

The hue and cry went abroad that afternoon of Saturday, July 
17, 1880, that forgers were in town. The alarm was sounded 
too late, for they had decamped. No possibility of surprising 
them by arrest in this city was held up to hope. Only patient 
strategetic agencies were remaining if their apprehension was 
ever to be accomplished. Major Thomas informed the police at 
once. From headquarters to the bank came Detective Joseph 
Mitchell in obedience to instructions from the then Chief of Detec- 
tives Crone. To him was recited in detail the doings of the forger 
and a description of his appearance as well as teller Morris could 
remember it. The data were carried back to police headquarters 
and entered on the blotter of the department. Every officer in 
citizen's dress was ordered out to scour the town, and no stone 



OUR POLICE. 525 

was left unturned. For two days search was unavailing save for 
the discovery of the fact that an unsuccessful attempt had been 
made to utter forged paper on the Western National Bank. Mr. 
Nolting, the paying teller, though sure he had done right in re- 
fusing to pay over the amount of the Fahnestock check, felt 
annoyed for the sake of the Messrs. Fahnestock, whom he thought 
might be aggrieved at his not honoring the order their supposed 
customer presented, visited the residence of the senior member of 
the firm Sunday morning to explain matters to him. He was 
overjoyed to know the man he had repulsed was an impostor. 
Everybody concerned was at sea until the mail of Monday morn- 
ing, July 19, brought to Major Thomas an anonymous letter, 
postmarked Philadelphia, wherein it was stated that George Bell 
and Henry Cleary had been implicated in the thievery. This 
communication the cashier forwarded to Chief Detective Crone, 
and waited a few days to see the results it would stir to the sur- 
face. But the police could not use the clue. Major Thomas 
then began the conduct of the case himself, and he did not cease 
his labors until he had put the convict's uniform on several of 
those implicated. The board of directors authorized him to take 
charge of the case for the bank, and to leave no stone unturned 
to bring the criminals to justice, and to entertain no propositions 
of a compromise. With marked intelligence did he pursue the 
clue of his unknown correspondent, until Saturday, July 24, he 
took the train for New York, having positive information regard- 
ing the descriptions of the men he was following and the haunts 
they frequented in that city. Landed in the metropolis, he 
jumped into a carriage and was driven at once to the office of 
Inspector Thomas Byrnes. The latter was absent on the arrival 
of the Baltimore bank official. Mr. Thomas left his card for the 
noted detective, and made an engagement to meet him on Mon- 
day morning, July 26, at the Brevoort House. At the appointed 
hour the inspector was with Major Thomas. The latter detailed 
all the circumstances of the forgeries, not mentioning at that 
time his own detective work, however. 

Inspector Byrnes believed he recognized the wanted forgers by 
their methods. His assurances were of so encouraging a elmrae- 



526 OUR POLICE. 

ter that Major Thomas telegraphed to Mr. A. H. Stump, then 
president of the Merchants' National Bank : " Send Morris, 
Medairy, and McMurran," that he might be in readiness with 
his witnesses for identification when the arrests were made. The 
very next day Detectives Adams, O'Neill and Slevin, of Inspector 
Byrnes' staff, took into custody Bell, Farren, and Cleary. The 
first two were arrested on the street, and the latter while in bed 
in a house where he often lodged. The capture was not made a 
day too soon, since it was afterwards learned the trio were to 
leave New York the day succeeding that on which they fell into 
the hands of the police. Brockway, accompanied by Billy Ogle 
and George Hamill, whom he left behind for protective purposes 
when he went to Baltimore, and Al. Wilson, had already 
"jumped." 

The prisoners were taken before Justice Duffy, at the Tombs 
court, and given a preliminary hearing. There was no charge 
that could be preferred against Farren, who was only seen loung- 
ing around the Merchants' National Bank, and he was discharged 
from custody. Cleary, it appeared, was "wanted" in Albany 
for a $1,000 forgery. He had been arrested on the charge, ad- 
mitted to bail, and " skipped." The New York authorities urged 
priority on this score, and demanded his custody. The claim 
was upheld by Governor Cornell of that State, who subsequently 
refused to issue requisition papers for Cleary until he had been 
arraigned in Albany for the offence alleged. He was escorted 
thither, tried, and sentenced to two years and six months im- 
prisonment at Clinton. Bell doggedly denied his identity, but 
in vain. He was picked out from among a crowd of other men 
by Teller Morris. 

Satisfaction it was, in a measure, to Major Thomas, to have 
this one of the gang, and for fear any mishap should prevent the 
ends of Maryland justice being satisfied, at least in this instance, 
the major came to Baltimore, swore out a warrant on July 28? 
before Justice John P. Grindall, at the Central Police Station, 
accusing Bell of uttering forged checks to the amount received by 
him from the Merchants' Bank. He then went to the office of 
State's Attorney Charles P. Kerr, whose co-operation he asked 



OUR POLICE. 527 

to have a requisition issued by Governor William T. Hamilton 
for Bell. The attorney for the Commonwealth gladly gave his 
aid. To obviate a hitch in another direction, Major Thomas 
telegraphed Mr. Morris to start for home in time to appear before 
the Grand Jury of Baltimore on July 31, the first and only 
session the inquest held that week. On the strength of the tel- 
ler's testimony, an indictment against Bell was found that day. 
Twenty-four hours later the requisition from Governor Hamilton 
was received by Deputy-marshal Jacob Frey, who was com- 
missioned to carry it to the Governor of New York. The deputy- 
marshal departed, and on August 2 was at the capital of New 
York. To his disappointment he was told Governor Cornell 
would not be at his mansion for several days, having gone to an- 
other section of the State. A question of convenience was not 
to be entertained, therefore the only thing to do was to wait, 
which the Baltimore officer did, at Albany, until the Governor of 
New York returned. After that there was little or no delay to 
the production of the warrant for Bell. 

A new impediment to the progress of the case was encountered 
when the deputy marshal went to New York with the requisite 
documents to take Bell from the Tombs. The forger had engaged 
counsel through friends and was an applicant for a writ of habeas 
corpus. The right of the prisoner to a full hearing on the tech- 
nicalities he wished to present was recognized by Judge Beach, 
of the New York Supreme Court. For three weary weeks the 
conflict went on, with intervals of adjournment, until on August 
18, the Court, after having heard the testimony of Major Thomas, 
Teller Morris, and Deputy-marshal Frey, the arguments of coun- 
sel for the defence, Messrs. E. E. Price and James Oliver, and 
for the prosecution as conducted by Hon. A. S. Sullivan, who 
was retained by the Merchants' National Bank, ruled that the 
prisoner be remanded to the custody of the Baltimore authorities. 
It was a bitter pill for Bell to swallow. On August 10, after a 
handcuffed journey from New York with Deputy-marshal Frey, 
he was behind a Yale lock in the Central Police Station in Balti- 
more, the ward of Captain John Lannan, then in charge of that 
precinct. Nor was the fight to end here. In anticipation of 



528 OUR POLICE. 

such a procedure W. Hollingsworth Whyte, Esq., appeared 
in the Circuit Court and asked an injunction to restrain the police 
from taking Bell's photograph. The appeal fell flat, and its use- 
fulness, if it had any, was annihilated by the statement of Deputy- 
Marshal Frey, that all the likenesses of Bell the Baltimore police 
wanted had been obtained from another city. 

The trial of Bell before Judge Pinkney in the Criminal Court 
was a memorable one. Mr. Whyte, a nephew of the presiding 
magistrate, again represented Bell, while Hon. A. Leo Knott, 
engaged by Major Thomas, assisted the State. The question of 
identity was once more the main point, and in so confused a con- 
dition did it reach the jury because of the rulings of the judge, 
that the twelve men empanelled failed to agree after a night's 
deliberation. The Court was highly displeased with one. juror, 
Mr. C. Edwin Stine, on hearing after the case had been aban- 
doned by the State, that he of all the jury had stood alone for 
conviction. To add to the irate feelings of the judge, prisoner's 
counsel, Mr. Whyte, stated in open Court it was rumored that 
the complaint of sickness advanced by Mr. Stine, which led to 
the discharge of the jury, was feigned. Swollen with anger, 
Judge Pinkney referred the case of Mr. Stine to the Grand Jury. 
A careful investigation showed that Mr. Stine had really been ill, 
and he was exonerated. A second trial resulted in an acquittal 
for Bell on one charge. By this time the merchants and bankers 
of the city were highly indignant at the form things assumed. 
Danger lay ahead that the forger would escape his merited 
punishment on the second charge; but a single way was at hand 
to avert it ; to have the case removed on the grounds that the 
State could not obtain the fullest justice in the Criminal Court of 
Baltimore. Judge Brown, in the Circuit Court, accepted this 
reasoning of State's Attorney Kerr, and ordered a change of 
venue to the Circuit Court of Howard County. 

Where were Brockway and the others all the while ? They were 
in prison, too, with the exception of Earren. Eunds were so low 
they could not much longer continue the legal sympathy they 
owed Bell unless they forged for lawyers' fees. A better place 
than Providence, B. I., the remnant knew not, hence it was they 



OUR POLICE. 529 

" braced" two of its banks after their Baltimore style, and got 
themselves, the very day Bell was in the Central station in this 
city, into a similar lock-up in Providence. Brockway went to the 
penitentiary for eight years, Ogle for four years, Hamill for three 
years, and U A1" Wilson escaped from the police. His hurry was 
so great, let it be remarked, he never stopped short of Boston. 
The situation was not congenial in the cultured centre ; Canada 
was more to his fancy. Even there he fared badly, and was 
locked up for a misdemeanor, which punishment begat in him a 
feeling of home-sickness that drove him back to New York on 
October 18, 1881. The lynx-eyed thief-takers of Inspector 
Byrnes were at his heels, and nabbed him in a few days. Philo- 
sophically he took his arrest, and to be accommodating as possi- 
ble, consented to go to Baltimore without a requisition. He knew 
he would be convicted if he stood trial, so he pleaded guilty to 
the charges against him, and was sentenced for four years. At 
the trial of Bell in the courthouse at Ellicott City, Howard 
County, Judges Miller, Hayden, and Hammond on the bench, 
on the second charge against him, Wilson was present in his con- 
vict's garb and shorn head, a striking contrast to his elegantly 
robed accomplice, in seal trimmed overcoat, handsome black suit, 
and the seal-skin cap, at that period highly fashionable. For two 
days, hundreds of men from Baltimore and the country surround- 
ing listened to the evidence. Fifteen minutes was all the time 
the country jury were out before they returned a verdict of 
"guilty!" Bell did not move a muscle, but sat upright, as he 
had done all along, with a serene expression of countenance. 
A low bow to the judges, and he started for the county jail to 
await sentence, which was not passed on him until July 9, 1881. 
On that day he was brought before Judge Miller. When asked 
if he had anything to say why sentence should not be passed 
upon him, Bell accepted the invitation, arose in the dock and 
said to the Court, " I was unfortunate at my trial in not establish- 
ing my innocence, as I confidently expected to, but the parties 
who were implicated refused to testify. I expect in a short time 
to prove my entire innocence. I have nothing to say against 
the rulings of this Court or the verdict of the jury. I only say 



530 OUR POLICE. 

now I am not guilty of the charge, and appeal to the mercy of 
the Court." 

" Yours has been one of the most aggravated cases against the 
law," replied Judge Miller, " that has ever occurred in Maryland. 
I will have to pronounce on you the sentence agreed upon by my 
colleagues and myself : ten years imprisonment in the Maryland 
Penitentiary, the extreme penalty of the law in such cases as 
yours." 

A visitor to the prison of this State, the day following the 
expression of the sentence could barely recognize gentlemanly 
George Bell in the tall fellow with a big black barred suit and 
his penitentiary cropped hair as he engineered a lathe for bur- 
nishing the heels of ladies' shoes. As for "Al" Wilson, a steadier 
mechanic, impromptu, if you please, never sprung a bobbin in a 
carpet shop than he. Juvenal, wise old student of human nature 
knew whereof he spoke when he created the truism: "First 
appearances deceive many. The mind seldom perceives what has 
been carefully hidden." 

But hold ! the curtain drops not here, for Geary is not yet in 
the Maryland Penitentiary, and Major Thomas believed he should 
be, and so he will, for the unfaltering cashier will not abate a jot 
his vigilance. He knows that on November 23, 1882, the sen- 
tence of Cleary will expire at Clinton Prison. Long before that 
is he in communication with Governor Cornell, who agrees to 
yield up the culprit on the proper day. Its arrival finds Deputy- 
Marshal Frey outside the gates of the institution, a requisition in 
his hand and a pair of handcuffs in his pocket. They are for the 
released prisoner who steps from technical liberty to practical 
imprisonment. Two months in the jail of Baltimore city the 
forger rests prior to his arraignment in the same pen once orna- 
mented by his incarcerated brethren. Fatigue had broken him 
down to such an extent that jail physician Dr. D. P. Hoffman 
certified that he was suffering from consumption. The counsel 
for the prisoner, Col. Charles Marshall, announced that his client 
desired to plead guilty. Judge Phelps, on January 18, 1883. 
sentenced him to five years of penal servitude. 



OUR POLICE. 531 

In the evening of October 1, 1886, Marshal Frey received a 
dispatch from Yv T ashington informing him that two well-dressed 
men had that morning robbed a gentleman in the National 
Metropolitan Bank of that city of a considerable sum of money, 
by means of the old " grab game." The gentleman was counting 
some bills on a desk when one of the men approached him and 
told him that he had dropped some money. The gentleman 
stooped and picked up four one-dollar bills. When he finished 
counting his money he found that he was $71 short. The two 
well-dressed men had disappeared. The Washington police 
being notified succeeded in tracking the thieves to the Pennsyl- 
vania Railway Depot, where it was found that they had boarded 
a local train for Baltimore. These facts were telegraphed to 
Marshal Frey. While nothing pointed to an organized raid in 
this section by a "mob" of sneaks, the Marshal's caution and 
foresight led him to send word the following morning to all the 
banks, warning them them that sneaks might be in town. If 
they should make their appearance in any of the banks the fol- 
lowing message was to be immediately telephoned to the Mar- 
shal's office: "Marshal Frey is needed at once." 

Shortly after noon the telephone bell in the Marshal's office 
rang. Mr. Frey stepped over and put his ear to the transmitter. 
The message came from the Merchants' National Bank, corner 
of Gay and Second streets. It was short and pointed : 

" Marshal Frey is needed at once !" 

Two detectives were instantly dispatched to the Merchants'' 
Bank, but the thieves were already in the custody of policeman 
Tress of the Central Station. They had been caught in the act 
of trying to rob Mr. George W. Parks, a brick manufacturer of 
No. 13 Nanticoke street. Mr. Parks was at a desk counting the 
proceeds of a check for $268, which he had just drawn, when one 
of the men, who wore a long gray ulster with a flowing cape 
attached to it stepped up to him and politely informed him that 
he had dropped several bills on the floor. Mr. Parks thanked 
the polite stranger and stooped to pick up the money. As 
he did so, he saw the man reach over toward the pile of bills 
on the desk. Grasping the situation instantly, Mr. Parks made 



boZ OUR POLICE. 

an effort to detain the fellow, but the latter broke away. He was 
just disappearing through the door when the President of the 
bank, Mr. D. H. Thomas, a. gentleman of athletic physique, 
having heard the hubbub, dashed out of his private office and 
leaped down the steps after him. Mr. Thomas caught the fellow 
after a short chase. 

In the meantime the thief's accomplice was arrested in the 
bank. While the man in the ulster was trying to rob Mr. Parks, 
the accomplice engaged the attention of the teller by asking him 
to change a twenty-dollar bill. Both prisoners were locked up 
in the Central Station. They gave their names as Andrew L. 
Hand and John Burke. Hand was the one who attempted to 
rob Mr. Parks. The two men claimed to be entire strangers to 
each other. Burke said he lived at the Eutaw House. The 
clerk at the hotel said that the man arrived the evening before, 
and on registering had inquired for telegrams addressed to either 
"Cummings" or "Hand." 

The police were informed that "Cummings" had arrived later 
and that he was then asleep in his room. He was awakened by 
Sergeant Reinhardt, and was found to be very drunk. When 
brought to the marshal's office he turned out to be the notorious 
George Carson, whose picture, indexed "Bank Thief," has 
adorned the rogues' gallery at headquarters for over five years. 
Intoxication prevented his taking part in the attempted robbery, 
and he was released and sent out of the city. 

Hand and Burke were arrested on October 2, 1886, convicted 
October 12, and each sentenced October 13, to ten years and six 
months' imprisonment in the Maryland Penitentiary. 

The limit of this volume is reached, and while a complete 
description of the department and its workings is given, the 
wealth of interesting stories and acts of individual heroism could 
only be touched upon in part. If the writer shall have succeeded 
in bringing closer to citizens the gallant defenders of their homes, 
lives and property, a service will have been rendered alike to the 
public and Our Police. 



ROSTER OF THE FORCE, 



Board of Police Commissioners. 

EDSON MARION SCHRYVER, President. ALFRED J. CARR, Treasurer. 

J. Q. A. ROBSON. 

JACOB FREY, Marshal. JOHN LANNAN, Deputy-Marshal. 

JANUARY 1, 1888. 



Name. Date of Appointment. District. 

Abell, E. A April 10, 1886 W. 

Aekerman, J. J October 5, 1885 N. W. 

Aekler W F November 28, 1826 C. 

Adkinson, B. B June 12, 1886 N. W. 

Abern, James June 17, 1878 E. 

Allen, Benjamin T., Sergeant June 17, 1884 W. 

Allen, Wm. C July 21, 1886 C. 

Anderson, James D February 10, 1876 S. 

Andrews, Ringgold June 19,1876 .-. C. 

Arbin, Wm. G. . July 9, 1885 N. E. 

Armiger, Jesse June 6, 1885 S. 

Armstrong, Thomas August 1, 1878 N. E. 

Arnold, H T April 13, 1886 S. W. 

Arnold, T. E July 17, 1884 S. W. 

Arthur, Thomas June 14, 1876 C. 

Atkinson, William M November 26, 1886 S. W. 

Auld, Benjamin F., Captain April 23, 1867 E. 

Austen, Wm. H April 12, 1886 N. E. 



Baehman, John December 27, 1882 E. 

Bafford, E. T April 22, 1881 C. 

Bailey, George May 27, 1885 N.W. 

Baker, James C January 25, 1884 E. 

Baker, John, Captain May 22,1867 S. W. 

Ballard. L. J October 11, 1886 C. 

Bannahan, P. F July 27, 1887 ... W. 

Barber, Alexander, Clerk April 13, 1886 E. 

Barber, Henry L January 29, 1886 N. E. 

Barber, Philip J., Captain April 10, 1869 N. E. 

Barker, William, Sergeant April 29, 1867 0. 

Barnes, John A February 9, 1885 C. 

Barranger, Thomas, Detective July 20, 1867.... 

Barrett, Michael July 15, 1884 S. 

Bayue, Wm. C, Sergeant March 18,1875..., S. 

Beckmyer, W. L May 14, 1885 C. 

Behrens, Manno A August 21, 1879 E. 

Behringer, Philip April 22, 1886 C. 

Bell, Thomas L February 3, 1877.' C. 

Berger, Philip R., Sergeant September 3, 1867 W. 

Berney, J. J April 21, 1881 W. 

Biddison, W. G August 19, 1886 C. 

Billmire, George W April 16, 18S6 F. 

Bishop, Alonzo R August. 19, 18S6 W. 

Black, Michael F., Sergeant April 15,1882 E. 

Blackiston, Albert C, Sergeant ". April 25.1S67 S. 

Blair, Jeremiah May 1,1885 S. 

Blake, James January 21, 1S71 C. 

Blaney, Samuel April 13, 1S85 C. 

Boone, Matthew October 14, 1870 N. W. 

Boose, William H September 21, 1886 N. W. 

Bortle, Caleb II April 2::, 1886 W. 



534 ROSTER OF THE FORCE. 

Bosch, P. F. J., Sergeant September 15, 1879 N. E„ 

Boston, James H August 8, 18Sy N. E„ 

Bouchett, Joseph A April 2", 1867 C. 

Bouckelle, P. S April 10, 1886 C. 

Boweu, Win, H., Sergeant April 25, 1S67 S. 

Bowers, G. W June 21, 1886 S. W. 

Bowling, William E December 8, 1877 E. 

Bradley, William T December 3, 1S84 S. W. 

Brandt, J. H February 21, 1876 N. E. 

Bravden, S. W October 15, 1885 N.W. 

Brennan, P. J December 2, 1880 C. 

Broderick, T. A., Sergeant February 4, 1875 S. W. 

Brooks, M.S., Turnkey July 27, 1875 S. W. 

Brooks, William *. April 4. 1873 N. W. 

Brown, James F May 31,1886 N.W, 

Brown, John C November 4, 18S1 , E. 

Brown, Richard P February 27, 1872 C. 

Brown, Thomas October 14, 1867 S. 

Brown, Wilson W May 2,1884 , N.W. 

Browning, George D , November 24, 1886 S. 

Bruchev, David H., Lieutenant November 5, 1S69 S. 

Brunner, J., Jr April 9, 1886 W. 

Bryan, James J May 17,1883 N.W. 

Brydon,E. R January 7, 1879....: S. W. 

Buckless, Thomas E., Sergeant August 20, 1872 E. 

Bucklev, D. E June 15,1886 C. 

Buenge'r, John H April 13,1886 E. 

Buppert, John April 23, 1885 S. W. 

Burnes, James M January 3, 1884 S. 

Busch, William H August 24, 1880 S. 

Busick, Harry G July 22, 1885 C. 

Busick, James H., Lieutenant May 1, 1867 C. 

Butler, John, Sergeant April 21, 1879 S. W. 

Byrnes, B. D June 28, 1873 C. 



Cadden, Thomas October 15, 1881 E. 

Cadwallader, Lewis W., Captain June 27, 1861 W. 

Cain, James T December 3, 1874 C. 

Caldwell, Andrea P., Clerk April 29, 1875 N. E. 

Callan, Thomas J June 29, 1885 ! E. 

Campbell, G. L May 7. 1867 N. E. 

Canbv, W. S April 22, 1886 N. W, 

Cannbles, Frauds March 9, 1877 N. W. 

Carberrv, R, H August 5, 1886 C. 

Carev, C. J March 21, 1884 N. E. 

Carey, John April 15, 1868 N. W.- 
Carey, Thomas May 23,1872 N.W. 

Carey, Timothy W September 12, 1871 S. 

Carlos, Jobn, Sergeant October 25, 1872 N. W. 

Carnev, M. T March 14, 1887 W. 

Carnev, O. B February 2, 18S6 W. 

Carr, A. R October 3, 1877 C. 

Carr, Nicholas J March 31, 1880 N. W. 

Carrick, Lackey M June 13, 1887 W. 

Carrick, William J., Sergeant Julv 26, 1876 N. E. 

Carroll, J. H., Lieutenant March 25, 1869 N. E. 

Carson, T. W. D September 5, 1885 S. W. 

Carter, I. T October 16,1876 N. E. 

Carter, Robert D May 12, 1884 N. W- 

Casev, John A April 9, 1886 C. 

Casey, Samuel B January 24, 18S1 N. E. 

Cash, Patrick December 7, 1885 C. 

Cassidy, Tbomas R April30, 1S85 C. 

Cavanaugh, Matthew November 27, 1875 S. 

Chaillou, Aug., Sergeant November 14, 1867 N. E. 

Chaillou, Lewis, Sergeant April 10, 1S82 S. 

Chaney, Charles P April 29, 1867 C. 

Chesgreen, William J October 8,1868 C. 

Claiborne, Charles IL, Captain December 21, 1868 S. 

Clark, Charles June 4, 1870 S. 

Clark, J. A February 27, 1882 N. E„ 

Clark, Patrick J . April 27, 1887 S. 

Clause, Frederick May 6,1880 C. 

Clautice. George, Sergeant September 23, 1873 C. 

Clautice, George B November 3, 1884 „ ,„ C. 



ROSTER OF THE FORCE. 535 

Clemson, Richard II October 25, 1883 E. 

€Iine, Daniel H., Sergeant October 2,1875 N. W. 

Clipper, Lewis June 7, 1875 R. 

Close, R. J May 7, 1885 W. 

Clowe, John H., Sergeant November 16, 1877 W. 

Cole, C. Wallace July 27,1886 E. 

Cole, Lewis D December 16, 1886 C. 

Coleman, Charles L August 31, 1868 E. 

Collins, Joseph D., Sergeant July 30, 1868 S. 

Command, John : April 3, 1870 E. 

Connerv, John January 26, 1874 N. W. 

Connolly, James F February 3, 1887 C. 

Connolly, William December 28, 1867 E. 

Connor,* Patrick F January 6, 1887 S. 

Considine, Patrick December 2, 1872 W. 

Conway, J. H April 30, 1885 S. W. 

Conway, Patrick December 28, 1872 S. 

Conway, Richard May 2, 1887 C. 

Conway, Thomas November 7,1883 S. 

Cook, C.E October 14,1886 W. 

Cook, G. L August 26, 1874 S. W. 

Cook, John March 1, 1857 S. W. 

Cook, William April 8, 1871 E. 

Costello, John W March 3, 1883 E. 

Costello, P. S April 30,1867 N. W. 

Cox, John B August 15, 1878 E. 

Cox, John T May 1, 1871 C. 

Crate, F. S., Sergeant February 27,1877 N. E. 

Crawford, James A April 9,1886 E. 

Crawford, John O ■ October 20, 1881 N. W. 

Creamer, Anthony August 14, 1868 S. W. 

Crispens, William H October 15, 1886 S. 

Crooks, T.B February 10,1871 W. 

Cross, B.O.L April 21, 1881 N. E. 

Cross, Franklin T May 13, 1885 N. E. 

'Cullem, J. W October 7, 1871 C. 

D 

Dahle, George August 21,1884 C. 

Davis, John September 10, 1873 C. 

Davis, John W April 4, 1881 E. 

Deaver, George R May 7, 1867 C. 

Debring, A. B., Turnkey January 11, 1883 N. W. 

Debus, Lewis April 10,1886 S. 

-Deems, John September 11, 1882 S. 

Dempsey, William B February 18, 1885 C. 

Devan J. T October 11, 1872 W. 

Devon, Francis P April 10,1882..... C. 

Dietz, John December 20, 1871 C. 

Diggs, Daniel E., Sergeant April25,1867 E. 

Dingle, Henry July 31,1878 S. 

Dolan, Michael February 1, 1871 C. 

Donahue, P. J : August 20, 1886 C. 

Donnelly, Bernard March 2, 1870 N. W. 

Dorn, Charles P., Sergeant September 18, 1878 N. W. 

Dorsey.John B September 1,1885 C. 

Douglass, George E July 7, 1885 S. 

Doyle, Bernard September 7, 1887 N. W. 

Doyle, James September 12, 1S84 N. W. 

Doyle, William F August 2, 1869 S. 

Doyle, William H .• December 17, 18S1 C. 

Driscoll, John, Sergeant August 14, 1873 W. 

Drohan, David May 7, 1867 X. W. 

Droste, William H., Detective Tune 5, 1868 

DuBois, Edw. S., Clerk April 9, 18S6 C. 

Dudrow.T. C : May 8,1871 X. E. 

Dull, George, Sergeant April 25, 1867 S. 

Dull, George F February 11, 1882 S. 

Dunn. Edward November 24, 1S74 C. 

Durkee, Henry June 27, 1861 N. B. 

Eagan, Michael April 12,1886 C. 

Earhart, George W., Captain Septembers, 1S6S N W. 

Edwards, David October 6, 1S79 V. 



536 ROSTER OF THE FORCE. 

Egan, John December 24,1885 S. W. 

Elbacher, L. H April 12, 1886 C. 

Emerine, George August 12,1876 C. 

Emery, W. H December 6,1884 N. E. 

Ennis, James R February 2j, 1NS6 E 

Enrich, Henry October 29, 188 6 E. 

Eppley, John A November 15, 1871 N. E. 

Escavaille, George S April 13,1886 N. W. 

Eustace, Levi April 25, 1881 E. 

Evans, George N May 11, 1874 S. 



Fairbanks, William J May 1, 1SG7 S. 

Fallon, Peter April 10, 1886 C. 

Farlev, George November 14, 1S83 S. W. 

Farnan, Thomas F., Captain April 30, 1867 C. 

Farrell, Thomas J June 16, 18S6 N. W. 

Faulkner, Thomas E April 22, 1886 S. 

Feeney, Charles M April 10, 1886 C. 

Fetsch, JohnM August 21, 1884 S. 

Fink, Jacob April 30, 1887 S. W. 

Finnerty, Bernard June 17, 1879 C. 

Fitzgerald, Thomas A., Lieutenant November 20, 1867 S. W. 

Fitzmorice, M April 10, 1886 S. W. 

Fitzpatrick, A. H May 15, 1885 C. 

Fitzpatrick, H. F February 25, 1884 N. E. 

Fitzpatrick, T. J April 13, 1886 N. W. 

Flannery, Frank J., Lieutenant September 2, 1875 N. W. 

Flannery, Patrick March 31, 1880 S. 

Fleckenstien, Jacob August 31, 1876 E. 

Flood, Philip, Sergeant November 11, 1882 S. 

Floyd, William April 30, 1867 S. 

Fluskev, D. B September 21, 1886 0. 

Foil, Charles F August 15, 1884 E. 

Ford, John N July 27, 1883 N. E. 

Foster, Theodore J., Sergeant December 29, 1883 N. W. 

Frazier, George December 11, 1875 C. 

Frazier, William H., Lieutenant April 25,1867 , C. 

Freburger, S. H., Captain of Detectives May 1,1875 

Frederick. H. W April 13,1886 N. W. 

Frey, Jacob, Marshal, April 23, 1867 

Friedel, JohnM April 11, 1884 E. 

Fritz, Andrew April 9, 1886 S. 

Fullem, J. J., Lieutenant August 22, 1878 W. 

G 

Gaffney, John March 25, 1868 C. 

Gallagher, Martin B May 3, 1887 S. 

Garrett, John W April 22, 1886 S. 

Gartside, Jacob W April 10, 1886 N. W. 

Garvey, Thomas May 12, 1879 C. 

Gauley, Philip May 16,1885 W. 

Gault, Albert, Detective December 8, 1866 

Gaunt, William T December 1, 1887 N. E. 

Getz, John September 3, 1877 N. E. 

Gilbert, Joseph J., Sergeant January 27,1881 C. 

Gillespie, James T September 19, 1S84 E. 

Gillespie, W. T March 1, 1833 W. 

Gittings, Charles W July 17,1886 C. 

Glynn, John J October 4, 1883 N. W. 

Goldsborough, (I. W May 3, 1884 E. 

Goldsmith, J. B May 30,1871 N. W. 

Goodwin, Joseph April 13, 1886 S. W. 

Goonan, Timothy April 9, 1886 S. W. 

Gordon, George H May 25, 1S72 E. 

Graff, Raymond April 8, 1873 E. 

Graham, James A December 13, 1878 S. 

Graves, Walter July 21,1886../ W. 

Grau, Adam October 30, 1883 E. 

Grebe, Frederick January 3, 1885 E. 

Green, Lewis April 21, 1881 N. W. 

Green, Samuel G April 22, 1886 N. E. 

Green, Thomas T., Sergeant June 5, 1875 E 

Griffin, M April 9, 1886 S. W. 

Griffriss, Joseph W November 4, 1886 S. 



110 ST Ell OF THE FORCE. 537 

Grill, Philip .,.«,..... July 14, 1874 S. 

Grimes, Geo. A April 14, 1884 S. W. 

Grossman, Leopold October 3, 187G S. 

Gruber, William G November 1, 1884 , N. W. 

Gumpmau, Peter H August 26, 1886 S. 

Hahn, Lewis April 15, 1876 S. W. 

Hagan, Mark September 29, 188/ C. 

Hall, T. B., Detective April 21, 1875 

Halstead, E. G June 7, 1880 E. 

Hamilton, A. J December 1, 1880 E. 

Hammack, Wm. E July 5, 1887 N. E. 

Hammond, J. M February 26, 1880 N. W. 

Hanson, E. H April 10, 1886 N. W. 

Hardesty, James A April 25, 1881 S. 

Hardesty, Thos. J October 10, 1887 W. 

Harman, L. W May 12, 1875 N. W. 

Harvey, James, Sergeant May 1,1867 C. 

Hays, George W September 15, 1865 N„ W. 

Headdington, I. B December 9, 1S86 N. W. 

Healey.John J May 14,1873 C. 

Heath, George W July 19, 1878 N. E. 

Heiderman, Charles E September 10, 1886 S. 

Heimiller, Heimian September 25, 1877 S. 

Henisler, Samuel H April 23, 1875 N. E. 

Hen kel, Frederick. October 27, 1884 E. 

Henneman, J. H., Sergeant June 8, 1876 W. 

Herfel, George W March 9, 1S86 E. 

Higgins, William F March 19,1885 C. 

Hisinbothom, J. B January 20, 1887 N. W. 

Hilderbrand, Henry Turnkey August 17, 1870 E. 

Hoffman, E. J., Sergeant August 25, 1881 W. 

Hogan, Michael April 12, 1882.... N. W. 

Hogan, Thomas F., Sergeart April 7, 1874 N. E 

Hood, T. J September 26, 1887 S. W. 

Hook, Charles January 3, 1888 C. 

Hook, George W April 12, 1886 E. 

Hooper, James A April 10,1886 W. 

Horstman, Henry, . November 27, 1884 W. 

Hosefrons, Lewis April 11, 1874 W. 

Houck, Samuel N May 15, 1885 N. W. 

Howe, John October 4, 1871 N. W. 

Hoyle, George December 15, 1881 C. 

Hughes, Michael July 17, 1884 S. 

Hughes, M.J December 26, 1884 ' C. 

Hughes, Terrence April 9, 1886 N. E. 

Hughes, Thomas J January 10, 1887 N. W. 

Hughes, Timothy April 21, 1881 W. 

Hussey, Michael April 1, 1885 W. 

Hutson, George W July 20, 1882 E. 

Hvland, Francis June 21, 1875 S. W. 

Hymes,A. H April 30,1867 C. 

J 

Jacobs, John August 23,1873 S. 

Jaecksch, John H January 3, 1885 E. 

James, Gilbert C June 29, 1887 N. W. 

Jamison, Andrew April 13, 1886 C. 

Jarboe, C. W May 14, 1885 W. 

Jennings, Michael August 16, 1870 S. 

Johnson, Charles E April 22, 1886 N. E. 

Johnson, John T September 5, 1885 E. 

Johnson, William R , Lieutenant April 25, 1S67 E. 

Jones, Francis W., Sergeant May 7, 1S67 E. 

Jones, Henry C July 12, 1877 N. E. 

Jones, Joseph February 25, 1869 W. 

Jones, Leven April 10, 1886 N. E, 

Junker, Adam April 30, 1867 S. 

Junker, John July 30, 1873 S. 

Kabernagle, George W June 10, 1886 C. 

Kalblieisch, William, Sergeant December 6, 1882 W. 

Kane, 0, J July 21, 1876 C. 



538 ROSTER OF THE FORCE'. 

Kaufman, Andrew November 12, 1879 C. 

Kayer, Philip November 21, 1878 E. 

Kehoe, Nicholas May 12, 1881 C. 

Keller, George H April 30, 186S C. 

Kelly, Edward J December 26, 1884 E. 

Kelly, James H December 3, 1884 C. 

Kellv, John June 8, 1876 C. 

Kelly, John T March 3, 1882 S. 

Kellv, Patrick J December 5,1883 C. 

Kellv, Thomas October 24, 1887 E. 

Kellv, Thomas P May lo, 1883 C. 

Kellv, William A August 4, 1885 C. 

Keen, Samuel M April 17, 1874 W. 

Kennedv,A.J June 21,1886 W. 

Kerr, John May 7, 1867 E. 

Kessler, George June 5, 1S86 S. 

Kiessling, John April 21, 1881 E. 

Kiggins, James T June 28, 1884 E. 

Kimmitt, Thomas March 11, 1882 S. 

King, John K December 1, 1885 S. W. 

King, Samuel, Turnkey December 1, 1874 N. E. 

Kirsch, Lewis, Sergeant April 15,1870 C. 

Kissner, George N April 10, 188G E. 

Knight, Thomas, Turnkey May 6, 1867 S. 

Knott, Cornelius L., Sergeant May 1,1S67 N. W. 

Kratz, John H May 15, 1885 E. 

Krause, Henry December 9, 1881 E. 



Langley, J. K. P., Sergeant September 8,1876 E. 

Lannahan, Michael, Sergeant February 24,1879 S. W. 

Lannan, John, Deputy Marshal October 20,1869 

Latham, Charles L April 22, 18S6 C. 

Lattier, Louis May 8, 1885 N. W. 

Lauer, Henry Augusts, 1878 E. 

League, A. L April 22,1886 C. 

League, George, Lieutenant March 23, 1870 E. 

Ledlev, Jacob C Mav 7, 18S4 S. 

Lehman, John August 9, 1883 N. E. 

Lellich, L. E June 3, 1879 S. W. 

Leitch, JohnV April 22, 1881 C. 

Leitz, J. A May 14,1835 S. W. 

Lemmon, William March 31, 1870 S. 

Leonard, Patrick July 17,1884 W. 

Lerp, Theodore April 30, 1867 S. 

Lewis, James T May 6, 1881 C. 

Little, R. T April 30, 1SS5 S. W. 

Loker, Alfred March 16, 1885 C. 

Long, George June 16, 1876 S. 

Loudenslager, Thomas July 7,1876 S. 

Loudenslager, William Mav 29, 1872 S. 

Lutts, William J April 2,1883 C. 

Lynch, John March 2, 1885 W. 

M 

McBride, Frank T January 24,1884 C. 

McCart, George O February 9, 1885 C. 

McCauley, JohnS... May 6, 1862 C. 

McClelland, David P May 1,1371 C. 

McClelland. Isaac A September 2, 18S7 N. E. 

McClelland/J.A September 3,1887 S. 

McCourt, Charles J January 1,1886 C. 

McCroey, Thomas E May 1,1871 C. 

McDonald, James Turnkey July 14, 1873 N. E. 

McDowell, William July 13,1867 W. 

McElroy.M. E October 4, 1884 N. E. 

McFaddon, John F August 19, 1886 C. 

McFarland, J. W., Clerk July 21,1886 N. W. 

MeGee, Thomas B., Sergeant February 18,1878 S. 

McGeeney, John M April 13, 1SS6 C. 

McGinn, Patrick October 14, 1867 E. 

McGough, Patrick October 21, 1880 N. W. 

McGovern. Joseph May 15, 1885 S. 

McGraw, Thomas February 28,1883 C. 

McGuire, Tbomas November 23,1868 C. 

Mclntire, John A April 4, 1887 N. W. 



ROSTER OF THE FORCE. 539 

Mclntyre, Ambrose April 10, 18SG N. E. 

Mclntyre, James December 2, 1875 C. 

McKenna, Michael June 27,1881 C. 

McKew, Michael December 9, 1874. S. 

McKew, William H July 23, 2877 S. 

McLane, Charles M December 21, 1880 N. W. 

McMahon, P.J April 11, 1882 N. W. 

McNally, John August 6, 1884 C. 

McNeaf, Michael Juue 15,1868 C. 

NcNulty, James P November 17, 1885 N. E. 

McPherson, John W April 12, 1882 W. 

McShane, Chas August 25, 1887 C. 

Magee, Edward V September 24, 1884 C. 

Magness, C. E April 9, 1886 C. 

Maguire, Edmund O June 26, 1886 C. 

Mainster, Jacob June 19, 1863 E. 

Mainz, John October 7, 1881 S. 

Malone, Daniel October 7, 1869 C 

Manning, B Turnkey June 9,1868 C. 

Manning, James April 11, 1882 TV. 

Marsden, James H December 30, 1874 N. W. 

Martenet, Charles F August 4,1883 N. E. 

Mason, W. A April 10, 1886 S. W. 

Mauer, Max April 12, 1886 N. E. 

Maver, John H June 13. 1884 S. 

Medders, C. W. S December 5, 1878 N. W. 

Meehan, Edward F., Sergeant August 25, 1881 C. 

Meehan, Edward L August 19, 1886 C. 

Meekins, John D June 16, 1876 S. 

Melville, William May 5, 1879. S. W. 

Mersman, Charles F.... , April 28, 1875 C. 

Mettee, Joseph March 15, 1880 C. 

Middendorf, John July 10,1872 E. 

Miener, Alexander September 8, 1881 E. 

Miles, George W April 25, 1879 C. 

Miller, E. H April 9,1886 N. W. 

Mills, John C March 26, 1881 N. W. 

Mills, Thomas W May 27,1870 C. 

Mills, William H November 29, 1872 S. 

Milroy, William A January 25, 1877 C. 

Minor, William B., Lieutenant August 22, 1874 S. W. 

Miskelly, James F March 3, 1869 C. 

Miskill, Michael April 12, 1886 C. 

Miskimmon, Philip November 4, 1882 E. 

Mitchell, II. H May 7,1867 C. 

Mitchell, J. II September 7, 1877 W. 

Mitchell, Joseph C, Detective April 21, 1867 

| Mittendorf, Henry, Sergeant May 6, 1867 N. E. 

' IVlontague, Peter, Sergeant January 12,1872 S. W. 

Moog, James E April 11, 1882 N. W. 

Moore, Henry C August 9, 1886 N. E. 

Moore, James M July 17, 1884 W. 

Moore, John January 6,1887 C. 

Moore, Bandolph L May 1,1867 C. 

Moran, Thomas November 1, 1877 S. 

Morhiser, H. P., Sergeant September 7, 1881 S W. 

Moylan, Patrick November 7, 1878 S. 

Mullen, Peter B October 19,1886 C. 

Murphy, Michael March 3, 1879 S. W. 

Murray, James C December 22, 1884 N. E. 

Murray, John January 7, 1879 S. 

Myers, Charles H April 1*1,1882 C. 

Myers, Samuel D June 12,1885 C. 

N 

Nagle, Charles F July 21, 1886 S. 

Napier, Arthur January 15, 18S5 C. 

Neary, Michael J October 15, 1877 C. 

Neubeck, Frank June 3, 1SS1 1". 

Nevins, Joseph April 12, 18S6 N, W. 

Nicholson, Charles •. April 7, 1873 W. 

Nippard, James A., Sergeant January 11, 1873 C 

Nix, John \pril 10, 1886 E. 

Nolan, Thomas Turnkey May 27,1869 W, 

Norris, Charles F., Clerk April 9,1886 S. 

Norton, Patrick, Turnkey June 1, 1S74 S. 



540 ROSTER OP THE FORCE. 



O'Brien, Giles J March 25, 1875 S. 

O'Brien, Thomas May 28, 1871 C. 

O'Ferrall, Hugh June 2, 1879 S. W. 

O'Gradv, John October 10, 1878 S. 

O'Keefe, Daniel October 28, 187 1 C. 

O'Keefe, William March 12, 1885 N. E. 

O'Meara, William March 1, 1873 N.W 

O'Neill, Frank April 7, 1878 W. 

O'Neill, James November 24, 1874 C. 

O'Neill, John F October 25,1886 W. 

O'Neill, S. J., Detective June 22, 1875 

Orr, Patrick F April 24, 1880 N. E. 

Owens, GwinnF., Clerk April 9,1886 S. W. 

Owens, Henry F May 7,1867 N.W 

Owings, Theo'dore January 17, 1884 S. 



raff, John J May 7, 1867 E. 

Parks, John A., Sergeant May 1,1867 S. 

Pasterfield, Charles November 4, 1874 N. E. 

Pearson, William H May 7, 1S67 S. 

Pennington, Augustine II July 7,1887 S. 

Peregov, George K June 11, 1875 N. W. 

Perrv, 'William H November 18, 1875 S. 

Pfister, Nicholas October 20, 1880 S. 

Pick. William A November 12, 1878 C. 

Pierce, John June 10, 1868 N. E. 

Piercv, Jacob August 29, 1881 N.K 

Pohler, Herman June 11, 18S3 E. 

Polton, Charles A Jtily 27, 1383 W. 

Pontier, John S., Detective April 21, 1866 

Poole, Henrv, Sergeant Mar 7, 1867 E. 

Poser, John "V March 23, 1870 C. 

Potter, Charles B September 19, 18S1 E. 

Powers, John May 15, 1872 C. 

Powers, Thomas October 5, 1883 C. 

Price, J. E June 21,1886 S. W. 

Pumphrev, A. J., Detective February 12,1875 

Putsche, Frederick October 18, 1875 N.W. 

Pyles, Francis April 22, 1886 S. W. 



Quill, John H August 19, 18S6 N. E. 

uuinn, M. E., Sergeant April 30, 1S67 N.W, 

R. 

Rafferty, John April 10, 1886 C. 

Rauh, Adam G Mar 14, 1885 E. 

Reilly, John E., Detective May 6, 1867 

Reinhardt, Augustus May 31, 1876 C. 

Reinhardt, Charles, Sergeant December 2, 1871 C. 

Reth, John September 29, 1884 E. 

Rerer,Lewi3 G February 7, 18S7 N. E. 

Remolds, George W April 14, 1885 E. 

Reynolds, Martin J Norember 27, 1886 S. 

Reynolds, Michael J December 20,1887 C. 

Reynolds, Thomas F May 15,1885 N.W 

Rider, William N.Turnker April 9, 1S78 W 

Riefner, William H July 3, 1879 E. 

Riley, John A September 20, 1878 C. 

Riley, Michael September 1, 1870 C 

Riley, Peter, Sergeant April 18, 1873 S. 

Riorden, Michael Mar 6,1867 S. W. 

Roben, William February 15, 1883 .."...... N. e' 

Robey, W. W April 4, 1SS4 S. W 

Rochfort, Robert J May 14, 1885 E. ' 

Rochfort, Thomas C August 11,1875 " ' E. 

Roder.JohnE June 1, 1882 N. E. 

Rodgers, George Julv 26, 1876 N. E. 



ROSTER OF THE FORCE. 541 

Eodgers, John April 30, 18G7 N. E. 

Rose, Charles April 16, 1885 E. 

Roth, John October 27, 1879 E. 

Rourke, James September 15, 1870 N. W. 

Rowe, William B., Sergeant April 29,1867 C. 

Roycroft, J. Andrew, Sergeant October 27, 1871 E. 

Ruckle, James S September 2, 1884 C. 

Russell, W.T., Sergeant September 29, 1884 S. W. 

Ruth, P. W December 15, 1882 S. W. 

Ryan, A. A Turnkey April 22, 1881 C. 

Ryan, Ambrose A., Sergeant December 21,1875 C. 

Ryan, James F October 14, 1884 N. W. 

Ryan, Martin J April 22, 1886 S. 

Ryan, Peter April 22, 1886 S. 

Ryan, Timothy August 16, 1880 S. 



Saner, Andrew May 1, 1867 S. 

Santry, John J April 12, 1886 N. W. 

Saunders, J. R., Sergeant July 30, 1868 N. W. 

Scarborough, William T June 23, 1886 S. 

Schafer, George W., Sergeant March 16, 1870 N. E. 

Schaffer, William B December 16, 1884 N. E. 

Scherer, F. H November 10, 1871 N. E. 

Schieve, William J May 6,1887 C. 

Schimp, Martin P., Sergeant September 12, 1868 C. 

Schleigh, John April 10,1882 C. 

Schliegh, Edward, Sergeant February 10, 1881 E. 

Schmidt, G. C April 22,1886 W. 

Schneider, John E March 11, 1882 S. 

Sboemack, Henry, Sergeant November 29, 1876 C. 

Schulte, Ernest April 12, 1886 C. 

Sehulte, Frederick March 5, 1885 S. 

Schaltz, Edward, Sergeant August 17, 1880 S. 

Schuster, John S April 12,1886 C. 

Scott, F. II., Lieutenant July 6,1877 W. 

Scott, William G., Sergeant December 2, 1876 C. 

Scully, Michael J April 13, 1885 N. E. 

Seibold, Frederick August 11, 1886 C. 

Seibold, George W., Detective July 28, 1863 

Seipp, Frederick July 11, 1879 S. 

Seltzer, George W November 6, 1886 N. W. 

Selvage, Charles N December 5, 1878 N. E. 

Shannahan, J. E May 1, 1883 N. W. 

Sheppard. E. T January 8, 1883 S. W. 

Shefetle, Daniel, Lieutenant August 3, 1867 N. E. 

Shoemaker, Charles A., Sergeant January 17, 1880 S. W. 

Short, Robert F March 1, 1884 S. 

Shultz, J. A. G., Sergeant October 4, 1870 N. W. 

Sinclair, Charles H June 13, 1887 W. 

Sindall, George W June 16, 1876 S. 

Singer, J. F May 14,1884 W. 

Slaysman, Alexander May 1,1867 C. 

Slinkman, John H June 1,1874 W. 

Slunt, Charles August 6, 1873 N. W. 

Smeak, William April 2, 1887 W. 

Smith, C. F January 15, 1886 W. 

Smith, Geo. A February 3, 1879 C. 

Smith, Henry C, Sergeant July 16,1874 S. W, 

Smith, Jacob April 15,1868 S. W. 

Smith, James E April 10, 1S85 C. 

Smith, Joseph October 6, 1883 E. 

Smith, Peter July 6, 1867 E. 

Smith, William H April 12,1886 0. 

Smith, W. M. D May 10,1885 C. 

Snyder, John November 10, 1S85 N. E. 

Sommers, August August 5, 1884 E. 

Spellman, John J April 21, 1881 N. E. 

Spittel, Lewis April 26, 1886 W. 

Sporrier, Matthew April 10, 1886 N. E. 

Stack, Garrett, Turnkey March 18, 1869 N. W. 

Stack, Joseph A September 6, 1883 N. W. 

Stallings, John September 17, 1874 S. 

Starling, Frank June 7, 1884 S. W. 

Steindle, John May 27, 18S7 E. 

Stovonson, John April 30, 1S67 N. K. 



542 ROSTER OF THE FORCE. 

Stiner, B. F August 27, 1886 S. W. 

Street, David F September 29, 18S5 N. E. 

Street, Shadrach ' April 10, 1882 N. E. 

Streib, Henry, Sergeant June 7, 18/6 S. 

Strodtraan, Charles October 30, 1885 S. 

Strout, George T April 10,1882 C. 

Sullivan, P April 14, 1881 N. W. 

Sunstroni, Calvin, Lieutenant May 2, 1S70 S. 

Swartz, Frederick December 24, 1S68 S. 

Sweitzer, John April 24, 1875 S. 

Svlvester, Daniel .' October 15, 1878 E. 



Tarr, R. S Mav 2, 1835 S. W. 

Taylor, James W. W February 7,1«76 E. 

Tavlor.OwenM April 10, 1886 N. E. 

Thompson, E. A February 3, 1887 N. E. 

Thompson, J. J Mav 7, 1867 N. E. 

Thornton, Joseph February 26, 1883 N. W. 

Tienken, George H October 16, 1879 N. E. 

Tiernev, P. E., Sergeant February 26, 1880 W. 

Tighe.'John May 13,1872 N. W. 

Tinslev, Charles E September 23, 1875 N.W. 

Tipton, Alfred May 7,1867 N. W. 

Todd, Edward D June 21, 1886 W. 

Toner, Francis J., Sersceant Mav 12, 1871 C. 

Toner, Hugh July 6, 1S81 C. 

Townsend, Harry G July 6, 1S87 X. W. 

Townsend, Joseph February 25, 1875 S. 

Tracey, James S March 1," 1867 C. 

Tracev, Thomas September 25, 1382 E. 

Travers, H.Clav July 17, 1884 S. 

.Tress, Washington April 30, 1867 C. 

Tritel, Jeremiah W September 14, 1868 C. 

Trott, Joseph E April 22, 18S6 S. 

Tuohv, John December 21, 1887 C. 



Yansant, A.W June 24,1884 S. W. 

Yaughan, Benj. J July 26, 1379 S. . 

w 

Wagner, George L Mav 6. 1867 W. 

\Vasner, Henrv .' October 20, 1877 S. W. 

Wallace, William E April 25, 1867 S. 

Wallas, John February 26, 1880 S. 

Walsh, James J April 12,1836 N.W. 

Walsh, Maurice D May 14, 1885 E. 

Walsh, Michael, Turnkey July 27, 1S68 S. W. 

Walsh, W. J Augusts, 18S1 W. 

Walter, John A July 17, 1876 S. 

Ward, Bernard J., Sergeant June 20, 1833 S. 

Ward, John November 6, 1874 E. 

Ward, William H April 27,1867 S. 

Warfield, William L December 14, 1887 N. E. 

Warnsuian, Wm. F. H August 23,1887 C. 

Watkins, M. F July 15, 1881 N. W. 

Watkins, William McK., Lieutenant September 12,1872 N. W. 

Watson, Charles F December 16, 1887 W. 

Weaver, J. H November 27, 1875 W. 

Webster, A. J Mav 15, 1885 X. E. 

Welch, Edward R., Clerk April 9, 1836 W. 

Welch, John April 9, 1886 C. 

Wellener, B. S., Jr., Sergeant April 21, 1831 N. E. 

Wenzel, H. Y January 21, 1S87 N. W. 

Wessels, L. B., Sergeant April 8, 1874 N.W. 

Whalen, P., Sergeant October 15,1877 W. 

Whitley, Josenh May 12, 1868 C. 

Whittle, William H July 20, 1883 C. 

Weist, Jacob June 17,1885 E. 

Wilderson, R. R July 16,1887 N. E. 

Wiglev, Edward O Tanuarv 16,1886 C. 

Williams, George T October 20, 1884 S. 



ROSTER OF THE FORCE. 543 

Williamson, C. H., Sergeant April 8, 1874 S. W. 

Wilson, John F July 22, 1885 C. 

Wilson, S. J. D April 10,1882 C. 

Wiseman, James H April 12, 1886 N. E. 

Witters, Thomas D April 28, 1867 C. 

Wolf, August December 15, 1881 S. 

Wolf, Henry, Turnkey May 7, 1867 E. 

Worley, Charles R June 17,1886 N. W. 

Wortman, Charles December 9, 1881 S. W. 

Wright, George H May 6, 1874 C. 

Wright, John W January 2, 1872 C. 

Wright, John W April 12,1886 N. W, 



York, Benjamin W., Sergeant May 13, 1884 N. E. 



Zapp, Jacob August 27, 1872 S. 

Zehner, Lewis April 19,1881 N. E. 

Zerwick, J. Frederick January 2, 1875 S. 

Zulauf, L. B April22,1886 N. E. 



RETIRED LIST. 

Name. Date of Appointment Date of Retirement. Dist, 

Burkins, Wm .....May 1, 1867 April 22, 1886 W. 

Byrne, Michael May 6, 1867 April 22,1886 C. 

Crosby, Thos. H July 14,1869 August 19,1886 C. 

French, C. Dorsey January 1, 1879 April 22, 1886 S. 

Graham, Benj. F., Sergeant April 30, 1868 April 21, 1886 E. 

Helm, Joseph H June 27, 1861 May 6, 1867 C. 

Hickley, Robert P May 6, 1867 April 22, 1886 S. 

Lepson, Daniel, Captain April 23, 1867 October 14, 1886 S. W. 

McGee, J. Wm December 6, 1866 April 22, 1886 W. 

Mantle, Wm April 30, 1867 April 22,1886 N. W. 

Reed-, Jos. H May 24, 1869 April 22, 1886 W. 

Roberts, Washington May 2, 1868 April 22,1886 C. 

Russel, Wm. H April 27, 1867 April 25,1887 S. W. 

Sindall, Wm. M October 15, 1870 October 14, 1886 W. 

Sinskey, John September 30, 1873 April 22, 1886 E. 

Swearer, Geo May 6, 1867 August 19, 1886 N. E. 

Williams, Wm September 24, 1869 April 22,1886 S. 

Wright, Win. O., Lieutenant May 7, 1867 November 24, 1886 S. 

Zimmermann, F January 13, 1868 April 22,1886 S. W. 



SUMMARY. 

Marshal 1 

Deputy-Marshal 1 

Captains 8 

Lieutenants 14 

Sergeants 72 

Detectives 10 

Patrolmen 575 

Turnkeys 14 

Total 695 



INDEX 



PAGE 

Aaron, Geo. W., Captain 406 

Allen, Benjamin T., Sergeant 342 

Allen, W., Clarence 211 

Auld, Benjamin F., Captain 308, 345 



B 



Baker, John, Captain 307, 308, 

Baltimore, Created, a Town 

Baltimore, incorporated a Town 

Baltimore, Lord 

Baltimore, Settlement of. 

Barber, Philip J., Captain 308, 

Barker, William, Sergeant 

Barranger, Thomas, Detective 

Bayne, Wm. C, Sergeant 

Benefits, Yellow Fever, Charleston 

Earthquake, etc 

Berger, Philip R., Sergeant 182, 

Black, Michael F., Sergeant. 

Blackiston, Albert C, Sergeant 

Bosch, P. F. J.. Sergeant 

Bowen, Wm. H., Sergeant 

Brashears, John T 

Broderick, T. A., Sergeant 

Brown, Geo. W., Mayor 30, 41, 45, 50, 

Brown, Richard P 

Brown, Wm. G 

Bruchey, David H., Lieutenant 

Buckless, Thomas E., Sergeant 

Burglary, Third National Bank 

Burnett, Joseph P 

Busick, Jas. H., Lieutenant 

Butler, John, Sergeant 



Cadwallader, Lewis W., Captain 100, 

198, 200, 212, 257, 270, 287, 307, 308, 325, 

Caldwell, Andrea P., Clerk 

Calhoun, James, First Mayor 

Calvert, Leonard, Governor 

Carlos. John, Sergeant 

Carmichael, Thos. H., Marshal 61, 

Carr, Alfred J., Esq., Treasurer 117, 

Carr, Hon. James E 65, 73, 

Carrick, Wm. J., Sergeant 

Carroll, J. H., Lieutenant 

Cassell, W. H 

Chaillou, Augustus, Sergeant 

Chaillou, Lewis, Sergeant 

Chapman, John Lee 

Christie, Robert, Jr., Sheriff. 

Claiborne, Chas. H., Captain 308, 

Clautice, George, Sergeant 193, 

Cline, Daniel H., Sergeant 

Clowe, John H., Sergeant 

Collins, Joseph D., Sergeant 

Colton, Hon. George 

Connerv, John 

Connolly, Wm 357, 

Constables, First 

Convicts, Sale of. 



4 
19 

2 
1 

406 
324 
283 
375 

482 
342 
359 
375 
416 
376 

28 
405 

57 
193 

28 
370 
359 
490 
206 
318 
406 



453 
41' 1 

20 

2 

345 

65 
126 

79 
421 
416 
307 
421 
376 

58 

13 
301 
325 
381) 
:;42 
376 

99 

257 

358 

5 

12 



Costello, P. S 

Council, First City 

Crate, F. S., Sergeant., 
Crone, Wm. C 



Davis, Hon. John W 30, 41, 54, 57, 84, 

Delanty, Wm., Captain 115, 

Detective Department Organized 

Detective, The Force 212, 

Devon, Francis P 

Diggs, Daniel E., Sergeant 

Dodge, Geo. R 

Dorn Chas. P., Sergeant 

Driscoll, John, Sergeant 

Droste, Wm. H., Detective 200,257, 

276-284, 
Dull, George, Sergeant 

Earhart. Geo. W., Captain 308, 376, 

Elections, Supervision of. 38, 92, 100, 



188 

ID 

416 

215 



103 
307 

27 
302 
273 
359 

57 
389 
345 

287 
370 



437 
107 



Farlow, Col. John T., Marshal 65, 

Farnan, Thos. F., Captain...l09, 152, 173, 

308, 

Ferguson, Major J. D 

Fitzgerald, Thos. A., Lieutenant 

Flannery, Frank J., Lieutenant 182, 

Flood 69, 

Flood, Philip, Sergeant 

Ford, John T 

Forgery, Merchants National Bank 

Third National Bank 511, 

Foster, Theodore J., Sergeant 

Frazier, Wm. H., Lieutenant 284, 317, 

Freburger, S. H., Captain of Detectives, 
212, 270, 288, 

Free Excursion Fund 

Frey, Jacob, Marshal 81, 87, 108, 142, 

148-175, 198, 270, 307, 425, 462, 479, 528, 

Fullem, J. J., Lieutenant 

Fusselbaugh, Hon. Wm. H. B 65, 

a 

Gamewell Fire and Police Alarm 

Gatchell, Wm. H 30,38, 

Gault, Albert, Detective 1S5, 187, 231, 

235, 255, 

Gifford, Thomas 

Gilbert, Joseph J., Sergeant 

Gilmor, Col. Harry 88, 

Gray, John T., Marshal 65, 87, 108, 

Green, Thos. T., Sergeant 

H 



473 
103 
400 
384 

75 
376 

82 
511 
520 
389 
323 

292 
479 

531 

341 

73 



46.°, 
57 

289 

41 

324 

332 
116 



Hall, T. B., Detective.... 
Harvey, Jas., Sergeant. 
Hays, Geo. W 



230 
325 

188 



544 



INDEX . 



545 



Henneinan, J. H., Sergeant 198, 342 

Herbert, Gen. James K 92, 103 

Herring, Benjamin W., First Marshal.28, 42 

Hindes, Samuel 58, 62 

Hinks, Chas. D 30, 38, 57 

Hofiman, E. J., Sergeant 345 

Hogan, Thos. F., Sergeant 421 

Howard, Charles 30,38, 57 

Hunt, Jesse, Mayor 23 

J 

Jarrett, Lefevre 65, 73, 84 

Johnson, Win. K, Lieutenant 357 

Jones, Francis W., Sergeant 359 

K 

Kalbfleisch, Wm., Sergeant 342 

Kane, Col. Geo. B 41, 45 

Kenly, John R 57 

Kenney, Benjamin Franklin, Captain, 

103, 304 

Kirsch, Lewis, Sergeant 187, 324 

Knott, Cornelius, L., Sergeant 389 

"Know- Nothing Party" 29 

Iv 

Lamps, First Town 15 

Langley, J. K. P., Sergeant 360 

Lanahan, Michael, Sergeant 405 

Lannan, John, Deputy Marshal 108, 

176,211,308,381, 423 

Lauer, Henry 358 

League, George, Lieutenant 358 

Lepson, Daniel, Captain 307, 391 

Linaweaver, John N 28 

Long, Thomas, First Sheriff", Balto. Co... 10 
Lyons, Wm. H., Deputy-Marshal 58 

M 

McComas, Chas., Sergeant 79 

McFarland, J. W., Clerk 390 

McGee, Thos. B., Sergeant 376 

McKewen, Wm. F 45, 57 

Manly, John S 28, 61 

Manly, Stephen H., First Deputy-Mar- 
shal 28 

Martin, Thos. E 65 

Meehan, Edward F., Sergeant 325 

Milroy, John 88, 89 

Milroy, Wm. A 210 

Minor, Wm. B., Lieutenant 400 

Mitchell, John 28, 237 

Mitchell, loseph C, Detective 225, 525 

Mittendorf, Henry, Sergeant 416 

Montague, Peter, Sergeant 405 

Moore, Thos 307 

Morhiser, H. P., Sergeant 405 

Morris, Edward 28 

Morse, Thos. W 84 

N 

Nippard.Jas. A., Sergeant 324 

Norris, Chas. F., Clerk 376 

o 

O'Neill, S. J., Detective 200,290, 294 

Owens, Gwiun F., Clerk 406 



Parks, John A., Sergeant 375 

Pontier, John S., Detective 159,207, 

216, 270, 288, 332 

Poole, Henry, Sergeant 360 

Pumphrey, A. J., Detective 294, 299 

Public Executioner 5 

Penalties, Early 6 

Pillory 8 

Police, First peace officers 5 

Police, First night-watch 13 

Police, First Captains of the Watch 13 

Police, Citizens as 13 170 

Police, First paid watchmen 15 

Police Constables, their duties 16 

Police, watchmen, and constables, how 

paid 18 

Police, First city ordinance 20 

Police districts 22, 303, 326, 345,369, 

376.391, 413 

Police, reorganization 24 

Police, First Marshal 25 

Police, First Deputy-Marshal 25-7 

Police, First Board of Commissioners.... 30 

Police, Term of appointment 34 

Police Pension Fund 34, 136 

Police Board of Commissioners, powers 

of 37, 117 

Police, Second Marsha] 41 

Police, Second Deputy-Marshal 41 

Police, Metropolitan 41 

Police Commissioners appointed by 

General Banks (1861) 57 

Police Commissioners 30, 58, 117 

Police, Marshal of 148 

Police, Deputy-Marshal of 176 

Police force disbanded 58 

Police uniform adopted 27 

Police, Central District Station-house 

completed 87 

Police Commissioners term of office 88 

Police, Western District Station-house 

completed 99 

Police, actual working hours 96 

Police, leave of absence 96, 100 

Police force increased 100 

Police, Condition of force (1884) 104 

Police alarm, telephone and patrol- 
wagon service 107, 136, 137, 392, 462, 478 

Police, Detectives 212-302 

Police, System of patrolling beats 

changed 107, 134 

Police, headquarters 119 

Police helmet adopted 134 

Police " Special Fund" 135 

Police, Service Stripes 142 

Police, Station-houses. ..303, 326, 345, 369, 

379.392, 406 

Police, Station-houses (former) 16, 23 

Police Districts, Central 303, 30S 

" " Western 325 

" " Eastern 34S 

" " Southern 369 

" North-western 376 

" South-western B91 

" " North-eastern 406 

Police Gymnasiums 123 

Central 425 

" " North-western 437 

" " Eastern 4 13 

" " North-eastern 4 4S 

Police Gymnasium, First theatre exhi- 
bition 127 

Police Gymnasium, Filth theatre exhi- 
bition (1887) 456 



546 



INDEX. 



Police, drilling in manual of arms 442 

Police, The Harbor 478 

Police, Charities 478 

Police, Winter Belief Fund 479 

Police, Beneficial Association 483 

Police, Base Ball Nines , 455 



Q 



Quinn, M. E., Sergeant. 



390 



R. 



Reilly, John E., Detective 299-303 

Reinhardt, Chas., Sergeant 325, 533 

Riley, Peter, Sergeant 375 

Riots 43, 46, 95, 167, 189, 347 

Robson, J. Q. A 103, 117, 137 

Rowe, Win. B., Sergeant 325 

Roycroft, J. Andrew, Sergeant 359 

Russell, W. T., Sergeant 406 

Ryan, Ambrose A., Sergeant 183, 192, 

193, 285, 324 

s 

Saunders, J. R,, Sergeant 3S9 

Savage, George, Esq., Secretary..l09, 123, 145 

Sehafer, Geo. W., Sergeant 421 

Schimp, Martin P., Sergeant 187, 324 

Schliegh, Edward, Sergeant 359 

Schryver, Edson Maxion, President..ll7, 123 

Schultz, Edward, Sergeant 370 

Scott, F. Hamilton, Lieutenant 336 

Scott, Wm. G., Sergeant 325 

Seibold, Geo. W., Detective..l9S, 200, 255- 

276, 330, 331 

Shettle, Daniel, Lieutenant 416 

Shoemack, Henry, Serjeant 324 

Shoemaker, Chas. A., Sergeant 406 

Shultz, J. A. G., Sergeant 390 

Smith, Henry C, Sergeant 4C5 

Sparklin, T. W 28 



Spellman, John J 40(r 

Stocks s 

Stool, Ducking '. 8 

Streib, Henry, Sergeant 370 

Sunstrom, Calvin, Lieutenant 369 

T 

Taylor, Geo. W 65 

Thomas, Douglas H 525, 533 

Thompson, John A 61 

Tierney, P. E., Sergeant 198, 345 

Toner, Francis J., Sergeant 193, 323 

Tritel, Jeremiah W 210 

V 

Valiant, Wm. T 62 

Van Nostrand, W. A., Marshal 58, 61, 65 

w 

Ward, Bernard J., Sergeant 375 

Watch-houses 23 

Watkins, Wm. McK., Lieutenant 383, 384 

Wellener, B. S., Jr., Sergeant 416- 

Wentz, Doctor Geo. W 175 

Wessels, L. B., Sergeant 389 

Whalen, P., Sergeant 390, 398 

Williamson, C. H., Sergeant 406 

Wood, John F 28 

Wood, Nicholas L 58, 62 

Y 

York, Benj. W.. Sergeant, 421 

Young, James 62 

Zimmerman, Geo. W., Captain 307' 



ST. J ACOB S OIL. 

THE GREAT REMEDY FOR PAIN. 

GTJRK8 

Rheumatism, Backache, Sprains, 
Neuralgia, Headache, Bruises, 

Sciatica, Toothache, Frost Bites. 



20,000,000 Bottles Sold. In every one a Cure. 

Universal public sentiment has won for it The Highest Prize Medah, which 
nothing could call forth hut the most Extraordinary Merit. 

Awarded to St. Jacobs Oil for Best Pain Cure. 

New Zealand International Exhibition, 1882, . . Gold Medal. 

Calcutta International Exhibition, 1883-4, 
Cincinnati Industrial Exposition, 1884, 

California State Fair, 1884, 

Louisville Southern Exposition, 1884, 



Gold Medal. 
Silver Medal, 
Gold Medal. 
Gold Medal. 



Hon. FERDINAND C. LATROBE, Mayor, Baltimore, Md. 

"I have known many greatly benefited by St. Jacobs Oil." 
Hon. GEORGE COLTON, late Police Commissioner, Baltimore, Md. 

"Wherever I have traveled St. Jacobs Oil is recognized as a blessing." 
Sergeant THOS. F. HOGAN, N. E. Police Station, Baltimore, Md. 

"My wife suffered years with lumbago. Cured by St. Jacobs Oil." 
Officer J. J. THOMPSON, 1429 McElderry Street, Baltimore, Md. 

"Suffered intensely with neuralgia. Cured by St. Jacobs Oil." 
Officer CHAS. F. SMITH, 91 Mulberry Street, Baltimore, Md. 

"Great sufferer with lumbago. St. Jacobs Oil cured me." 
Officer HENRY A. DURKEE (30 years on the force) Baltimore, Md. 

"Suffered severely from poison oak. St. Jacobs Oil cured me." 



IT C03STQTJE^S PAI1T. 

Every application gives relief; every bottle contains a cure; every bottle 
tested as to quality ; every genuine bottle bears the firm's signature ; every home 
in America knows its name; every journal of the land praises it; every house- 
hold shelf should have it ; every testimonial strictly true ; every day increased 
demands; every patient is amazed and cured; every ache or pain succumbs; 
every druggist knows its merits ; every chemist finds it perfect. 

The Charles A. Vogeler Company 

Baltimore, Maryland, U. S. A. 
SOLE PROPRIETORS. 



OHARTERED AS STATE BANK 1835 CHARTERED AS NATIONAL BANK 1865. 

UNITED STATES DEPOSITORY. 



DOUGLAS H. THOMAS, President. EDWARD H. THOMSON, Cashiw. 



;%&%=6=#n§^ 



IMilMI 



Baltimore, Md. 

Capital $1,500,000. Surplus $400,000. 



]@)©es • <zr • l\equl<a:2? • J^ctrj^ir^q • JoDusirjess. 

Sollacfiorjs • (Carefully • rrjerae • errjci • Tf rerrjpiry • e/T.cc®ur)fea. • Ja 



DIEECTORS. 

Douglas H. Thomas, President. 

W. H. Baldwin, Jr., of Woodward, Baldwin & Norris, Dry Goods Commission 
Merchants. 

Joseph P. Elliott, Elliott Brothers, Cotton Commission Merchants. 

Ludolph W. Gunther, Tobacco Commission Merchant. 

Robinson W. Cator, of Armstrong, Cator & Co., "Wholesale Millinery Goods. 

William G. Bowdoin, of Alexander Brown & Sons, Bankers. 

Prank Frick, of C. Morton Stewart & Co., Commission Merchants. 

Frank T. Smith, of Wylie, Smith & Co., Flour and Grain Commission Mer- 
chants. 



PEINCIPAL COERESPONDENTS : 

Atlas National Bank, Boston. Merchants National, NeAV York. 

Blackstone National Bank, Boston. National Bank of Commerce, N. T. 

Merchants National, St. Louis. Bank of North America, Phila. 

United States National, New York. First National Bank, Chicago. 



Chartered a State Bank 
1810. 



Chartered a National Bank 
1865, 



The Commercial and Farmers National Bank 



OF BALTIMORE, 



Corner Howard and G-Erman Streets. 



Capital $512,560. Surplus $130,000. 



GEORGE A. von LINGEN, Dr. FRANK SLINGLUFF, 

PRESIDENT. VICE PRESIDENT. 

JOHN D. EARLY, 

CASHIER. 



DIRECTORS: 

JOSEPH H. RIEMAN, of Messrs. Henry Rieman & Sods. 
GEORGE A. von LINGEN, of Messrs. A. Schumacher & Co. 
WM. CARMICHAEL, late County Commissioner. 
W. G. BANSEMER, of Messrs. W. G. Bansemer & Co. 
W. J. H. WATTERS, of Messrs. Armstrong, Cator & Co. 
Dr. FRANK SLINGLUFF, of Messrs. Slingluff & Co. 
THOS. W. JOHNSON, of Messrs. Johnson, Sutton & Co. 
A. J. ALBERT, Jr., of Messrs. A. J. Albert, Jr. & Co. 
A. LILLY, Jr., of Messrs. Lilly, Rogers & Co. 



Chas. J. Baker, President. 



V. Emory Gardner, Cashier. 




BALTIMORE, MD, 



Capital $320,000. 



Surplus $45,000. 




DIRECTORS. 

BENJAMIN WHITELEY, late of Whiteley Bro. & Co., Wholesale Dry Goods. 
CHARLES WEBB, of James Armstrong & Co., Soap and Candle Manufacturers. 
HUGH SISSON, of Hugh Sisson & Sons, Steam Marble Works. 
CHARLES E. BAKER, of Baker Bros. & Co., Manufacturers of Baltimore Window 

Glass, Druggists' Glassware, and Importers of Chemicals, Paints, &c. 
CHARLES F. DIGGS, Agent Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Co. 
EDWARD NIEMAN, of Gieske& Nieman, 'Leaf Tobacco and Commission Merchants. 
DAVID M. NEWBOLD, of Newbold & Sons, Wholesale China, Glass and Queensware. 
WM. A. TOTTLE, of Wm. A. Tottle & Co., Wholesale Woodenware. 



JOHN W. HALL, President. GILMOR MEREDITH, Vice-President 

E. J. PENNIMAN, Cashier. 

■<%& •'••■'•■ <«)§>- 




iXUi^ill iPaffllk 



OF 

BALTIMORE, ME). 



Established 1863. 



CflPITSL, $1,110,000. SURPLUS, $250,000. 

JOHN W. HALL, of Lyon, Hall & Co., Carpets, and President Consolidate* 

Gas Company. 
GEORGE SMALL, of George Small & Co., Shipping and Commission. 
GILMOR MEREDITH, Consolidated Coal Company. 
JOHN G. COCKEY, President of Towson National Bank. 
J. OLNEY NORRIS, Shipping and Commission Flour. 
THEODORE HOOPER, President Wood berry Manufacturing Company, 
JOHN A. HAMBLETON, of John A. Hambleton & Co., Bankers. 
W. W. SPENCE, Capitalist. 



Principal Correspondents. 

Fourth National Bank, New Yokel 

Importers and Traders National Bank, - - - New York. 

First National Bank, - - Philadelphia. 

First National Bank, - - Chicago, III. 

First National Bank, Alexandria, Va, 

First .National Bank, - - - - - - - - Pittsburgh, Pa. 

First National Bank, - - Cincinnati, O. 

Louisiana National Bank, - - New Orleans. 



YPCtrjsercf • <&. • felcr)ci?<a:l • J^ai^iiiq • \q> 



us i n ess, 



Mercantile Accounts and Acoounts of Banks and Bankers 

Solicited. Collections Made at all Points and 

Remittances Promptly Made. 



No. 414. 

J. S. GILMAN, President. C. C. HOMER, Vice-President. 

J. H. BAWDEN, Cashier. 



Capital, $500,000, Surplus, $250,000. 



THE 



SECOND NATIONAL BANK 



OF BALTIMORE, 



432 SOUTH BROADWAY. 



DIRECTORS: 



E. W. ROBINSON, 
R. K. HAWLEY, 

ALEXANDER JONES, 



CHAS. C. HOMER, 
JOSEPH J. ROBINSON, 
DUDLEY T. MORTON, 



J. S. GILMAN. 



Opens 9 o'clock A. M. Closes 3 o'clock P. M. 



1865-1887. 

WM. H. CRAWFORD, J. FRANKLIN DIX, ALEX. M. CARTER, N. B. MEDAIRY, 

President. Vice-President. Cashier. Ass't Cashier. 



THE 



HMM Skaa©»aa WmMk 



ov 



BALTIMORE, MD. 

New Building, No. 33 South Street. 



Capital, $500,000. Surplus, $70,400. 



DIREGT0R3-1887. 

WM. H. CRAWFORD, JACOB TOME, 

J. FRANKLIN DIX. BERNARD CAHN, 

SAML. E. HOOGEWERFF, BERNARD GILPIN, 

WM. HY. SHRTOCK. ALFRED E. BOOTH, 

ED. A. ROBINSON, EDWARD G. HIGHT. 



New York — Importers and Traders National Bank. 
Boston— Suffolk National Bank. 
Philadelphia— Merchants National Bank. 
Chicago— Chicago National Bank. 
Cincinnati— First National Bank. 



Will Collect or Remit, either direct or otherwise, promptly at Lowest Rates. 
Accounts Solicited. 



CHARTERED STATE BANK CHARTERED NATIONAL BANIC 

1810. 1880. 




N. E. COR. GAY AND SECOND STS. 



JOHN M. LITTIG, JAMES BATES, JAMES V. WAGNER, 

President. Vice-President Cashier. 



CAPITAL $400,000. SURPLUS $124,000. 



JAMES BATES, of James Bates & Co. 
ALEX. RIEMAN, of H. Rieman & Sons. 
V. J. BROWN, of V. J. Brown & Sons- 
WM. A. DUNNINGTON. 
GEORGE R. VICKERS, Jr. 
H. C. MATTHEWS, of T. Matthews & Son. 
JOS. JAS. TAYLOR. 
J. M. LITTIG, President. 



Eugene Levering, 
President. 



Geo. 0. Manning, 

Vice President. 



James R. Edmunds, 

Cashier. 




Of BALTIMOSE, 



NO. 24 SOUTH STREET. 



CAPITAL $202,500. 



SURPLUS $30,000 



DIRECTORS. 

EUGENE LEVERING, of E. Levering & Co., Coffee Importers. 

GEO. O. MANNING, of John S. Reese & Co., Fertilizers. 

JAMES R. CLARK, of Jas. R. Clark & Co., Flour. 

THOS. H. HANSON, Retired. 

JOHN C. KING, Attorney at Law. 

CHAS. MARKELL, Retired. 

JNO. A. TOMPKINS, Secretary of Tlios. Wilson Sanitarium. 

WM. M. POWELL, of Wm. M. Powell & Co., Flour. 

G. S. GRIFFITH, of G. S. Griffith & Co., Carpets. 



PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENTS. 

Bank of New York, N. B. A., New York. 
Bank of North America, Philadelphia. 
First National Bank, Chicago. 
Lewis Johnson & Co., Washington, D. C. 



Accounts Solicited. Collections made on favorable terms 
with prompt remittances. 



Christian Devries, President. J. Thos. Smith, Cashier. 



The National Bank of Baltimore 



CHARTERED AS STATE BANE 1796. 

CHARTERED AS NATIONAL BANE 1865. 

CAPITAL $1,210,700. SURPLUS $400,000. 



IDI^IECTO^S. 



■Christian Devries, of the Charles A. Vogeler Company. 

C. Morton Stewart, of C. M. Stewart & Co., Commission Merchants. 

Oliver A. Parker, of E. L. Parker & Co., Importers of Tin Plate and Metal. 

Rich'd Cromwell, President of Mount Vernon Manf'g Co. 

John B. Dixon, of W. T. Dixon & Bro., Wholesale Dealers in Boots and Shoes. 

Geo. P. Thomas, President Maryland Life Insurance Co. 

John Gill, President Mercantile Trust and Deposit Co. 



PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENTS. 

Boston — Globe National and Maverick National Banks. 
Chicago — First National Bank. 

Philadelphia — Commercial National and Consolidation National Banks. 
New Tore— Manhattan Co., City National, Central National and Hanover 
National Banks. 



Henry James, Thomas Cassard, J. Wesley Guest, 

President. Vice-President. Cashier. 



SU28I1& Ifiilsiil Wssk 



OK BALTIMORE. 



Capital, $500,000. 



Surplus, $400,000 



DIRECTORS. 

HENRY JAMES, JOHN R. SEEMULLER, 

D. C. HOWELL, GEORGE M. BOKEE, 

THOMAS CASSARD, CHARLES W. SLAGLE, 

JAMES A. GARY. 



(502RESPONDEMS. 

Third National Bank, New York. 
Shawmut National Bank, Boston. 
National Bank ov Commerce, Philadelphia. 
Tradesmans National Bank, Pittsburgh. 
Citizens National Bank, Cincinnati. 
Central Railroad Bank, Savannah. 
Louisiana National Bank, New Orleans. 
National Bank of Commerce, St. Louis. 
Continental National Bank, Chicago. 
North- Western National Bank, Chicago. 
Union Stock-Yard National Bank, Chicago. 
United States National Bank, Omaha. 



WM. T. DIXON, 

President. 



J P. NEER, 

Vice-President. 



JOB SCOTT, 

Cashier. 



iMillij^iijii 










Hopkins Place, Liberty and German Streets, 

BALTIMORE. 
Capital, $600,000. Surplus, $150,000 

DIRECTORS: 

Wm. T. Dixon, of Wm. T. Dixon & Bro., Manufacturers and Wholesale Dealers 
in Boots and Shoes, No. 34 Hopkins Place and 33 S. Liberty street. 

D. T. Buzby, of D. T. Buzby <fc Co., Commission Merchants, 9 Exchange Place. 

Jno. E. Hurst, of Hurst, Purnell & Co., Wholesale Foreign and Domestic Dry 
Goods, Hopkins Place, German and Liberty streets. 

Daniel Miller, of Daniel Miller & Co., Wholesale Foreign and Domestic Dry 
Goods, Nos. 30 and 33 Hopkins Place and 25, 27 and 29 Liberty street. 

Summerfield Baldwin, of Woodward, Baldwin &, Norris, Commission Dry 
Goods, Corner Hanover and German streets. 

J. C. Stoneburker, of Stoneburner & Richards, Wholesale Grocers, No. 22 S. 
Howard street. 

J. P. Neer, Vice-President. 

B. F. Deford, of Deford & Co., Wholesale Hide and Leather Dealers, N. W. Cor. 
Calvert and Lombard streets. 

Wm. A. Hanway, Real Estate, &c, 43 Lexington street. 

W. A. Tucker, of Tucker, Smith & Co., Wholesale Boots and Shoes, 295 Balti- 
more street. 

Counsel— Wm. F. Frick. Notary— W. H. H. Raleigh. 

This Bank is pleased to receive the accounts of Banks, Bankers, Corpora- 
tions, Firms and Individuals, to whom it offers every facility for the transaction 
of business on favorable terms. Acts as Reserve Agent and Depository for 
National Banks. Correspondence invited. 

Legal Holidays in Maryland are New Tear's Day, 22d of February, Good 
Friday, 4th of July, Thanksgiving Day, General Election Days, and Christmas 
Day. 

Sight Drafts are not entitled to grace in this State. 



Robert Garrett. 



T, Harrison Garrett. 



ROBERT GARRETT & SONS, 

BUNKERS, 

NO. 11 SOUTH STREET, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 



Transact a General Domestic and Foreign Banking and Brokerage Business. 



ALEXANDER BROWN & SONS, 

S. W. COR. BALTIMORE AND CALVERT STREETS, 
BALTIMORE, MD. 

TRANSACT A 

General Foreign and Domestic Banking Business 

Buy and Sell Bills of Exchange on Great Britain, Ireland and 
other Foreign Points. Issue Commercial and Travelers' Credits 
in Sterling, Francs or Dollars, available in any part of the world. 
Make Telegraphic Transfers of Money between this and other 
countries. Make Collections of Drafts. Loans Negotiated and 
Advances Made. Interest allowed on Deposits. Members of the 
Baltimore Stock Exchange. Buy and Sell Stocks and Bonds. 

Private Wire to New York and Philadelphia. 

BROWN BROTHERS & CO. 

NEW YORK, PHILADELPHIA AND BOSTON. 

BROWN, SHIPLEY & CO., 

LONDON AND LIVERPOOL. 



James G. Wilson. Fhed'k M. Colston. Wm. B. Wilson. 

Wilson, Colston & Co. 

BANKEfS. 

(MEMBEES OF BALTIMORE STOCK EXCHANGE.) 

Nd, 21B EAST BULTIMDRE STREET, 
BALTIMOBE, 

JOHN GILL, W.W. SPENCE, L.C.FISCHER, 

President. Vice-President. Secretary and Treasurer. 

Mercantile Trust Oeposit Company of Baltimore 

Cor. German and Calvert Streets. 

Acts on Executor, Administrator, &c, and Trustee under Will or Deed. Safes 

for Securities from $10 to $150 a year. Boxes for Deeds and Papers 

$5 to $10. Storage for Valuables. 

Iirterest .A-llcTsrecL on !Lv£©n.e37" ^Deposits. 

Agent for Collection of Incomes and Management of Estates. 

_ :m:o:k:i:m: &d 00. 

Baltimore and St. Paul Sts. J 



Besides BANKING, transact a GENERAL STOCK BUSINESS in this 
and other markets. 

PARKS FISHER. Telephone Call 1049-3. 

WM. FISHER & SONS, 

IBaurLlszers, Stocls: a,nd. ISTote Brokers, 

21 South Street, Baltimore, Md. 

Buy and Sell all classes of Government Securities, Rail Road, State, City, and other 
Stocks and Bonds, in the Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Southern Markets. 

Loans and Notes negotiated and Money Loaned on call or time, on approved collaterals. 
Deposits received subject to check and Interest allowed. 

C. IRWIN DUNN & CO. 

(Members Baltimore Stock Exchange.) 

No. 203 East German Street (Keyser Building"), 

liefer to Farmers' and Merchants' National Bank. BALTIMORE. 



Kummer & Becker, 
Bankers and Brokers, 

IfcTo. 21SOT7TU STBEET, 



Letters of Credit, available in every part of Europe. Bills of Exchange 
on Great Britain and the Continent. 

MEMBERS OF BALTIMORE STOCK EXCHANGE. 

Stocks Bought and Sold on Commission in New York, Boston and 
Philadelphia. 

Particular Attention given to Investment Securities. 

J. WM. MIDDENDORF. WM. B. OLIVER. 

Members Baltimore Stock Exchange. 

MIDDENDORF, OLIVER & CO. 

BasS®a© sat Ba®&®»© 9 

And Dealers in Foreign Exchange, 

(Keyser Building) 213 E. German Street, 

P. O. Box 397. M&flMOlS, M©. 

Iaa."vestna.eaa.t Sec-u.r5.ties a, Specialt3T- 
J. HARMANUS FISHER. WM. H. FISHER. 

J. HARMANUS FISHER & SON, 

Bankers aadi St©ek ®r@k@r® 

(KANSAS REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE LOANS), 
Isto. 16 SoLith. Street, BALTIMORE. 



Will execute Orders for the purchase and sale of Stocks, Bonds, &c, in 
this and other markets. Speculative Accounts Declined. 

H. A. Orbick. George Mat. 

ORRICK & MAY, 

243 East G-erman Street, 

BALTIMOBE, 



ernjan ^ank of ^altimoqe <j0iu+ 

CHARTERED 1881. 

CAPITAL, $400,000. 



A. H. SCHULZ, President. A. WEBER, Cashier. 



BOARD OF DIRECTORS. 

A. H. Schulz, Wm. G. Atkinson, Wm. Schnauffer, 

Frederick Wehk, H. H. Hobelmann, Charles Hilgenberg, 

John Uhrig. 



Seth H. Whiteley. Chas. D. Gaither. 

WH1TELEY & GAITHER 

Bankers and Brokers, 

No. 17 SOUTH STREET, - - BALTIMORE. 

WM. C. SEDDON & CO 

B ANKBMS 9 BMUKEMS, 

No. 207 East German Street, 

SOUTHERN SECURITIES A SPECIALTY. BALTIMORE. 

DeCourcy W. Thom. H. B. Whiteley. 

THOM & WHITELEY, 

BANKERS AND BRDKERS, 

No. 201 German Street, near Stock Exchange, 

P.O. Box 469 BALTIMORE, MD. 

202 

E. Baltimore Street, 

Baltimore. 

PRUnTTEISS, 

STilTIOI^EBS. 

BLANK BOOKS MADE TO ORDER. 




THE VALS SPRINGS WATERS. 

These Waters, which have a European reputation, have been tested by some 
of the leading physicians of Baltimore, who pronounce them extremely beneficial 
iu the following diseases : the Saint Jean for Dyspepsia and Children's Diseases ; 
the Precieuse for Liver Complaints; the Desikee for Kidney troubles. 

For sale by all reputable Druggists. 

P. F. de GOURNAY, Importing Agent, 33 S. Gay Street. 



INCORPORATED 1848. 



mmimmmasm, 



BALTIMORE, MD. 



SAMUEL EDMONDS, President. 

THOS. S. RIDGAWAY. - Cashier. 



Capital, $211,890. Surplus, $25,000. 



v£40ilecii0r)s • iTyctd-c • or) • all • o/iccessible • f; 0ir)fs, 



"WITH PROMPT REMITTANCES. 



Special Attention Given to all Business Intrusted to our Care, 

And offers every facility for the transaction of business on favorable terms. 



CHARTERED AS STATE BANK CHARTERED AS NATIONAL BANK 

1808. 1865. 

No. 1337. 



fAlifltS AND Mil GIANTS' 



-9 



OF 



BALTIMORE, IVTD. 



Capital, $650,000. Surplus, $325,000. 



President, .---.. JAMES SLOAN, J«. 

€ashier, CHAS. T. CRANE. 



DIRECTORS. 

JAMES SLOAN, Jr., WILLIAM P. HARVEY, 

OTIIO H. WILLIAMS, FARIS C. PITT, 

EDWARD HIGGINS, Jr., ROBERT OBER, 

JOHN II. BRINKLEY. 



MARYLAND 

Title Insurance and Trust Co. 

N. E. COR. SOUTH AND SECOND STS. 



BALTIMORE 



Authorized Capital, $500,000. Paid up, $100,000. 



OFFICERS. 



BENJAMIN PRICE, President. EDGAR H. MILLER, Vice-President. 

JACOB I. COHEN, Treasurer. 



Board of Directors : 

EDGAR G. MILLER, JOHN K. COWEN, 

JACOB I. COHEN, JOSEPH FRIEDENWALD, 

C, RIDGELY GOODWIN, GEORGE WHITELOCK, 

JOHN T. MASON, R, RICHARD K. CROSS, 

BENJAMIN PRICE, CHARLES W. SLAGLE, 

THOMAS HILL. 



This Company Examines Titles to Real Estate or Leasehold Property for 

Purchasers and Mortgagees, and issues a Policy insuring them 

absolutely against all loss by reason of any possible 

defect of title. 



The advantages offered by this Company — 
ist. Thorough Examination of Title, 
2d. Absolute Insurance; 
3d. Fixed and Low Charges; 
4th. Saving in Time; 

5th. Great ease and cheapness of all subsequent transfers or 
mortgages. 



CHARTERED 185G. 



-THE- 




Authorized Capital, 
Capital Paid up, - 
Surplus and Undivided Profits, 



$500,000 

250,000 

29,000 



¥M. S. CARROLL, 
J. HENRY JUDIK, 
JOS. A. McKELLIP, 



Pres t dent. 

Vice-President. 

Cashier. 



eTl • General • j^err^inq • pyusirjess • Y T < s:r ) s ' ZiC 't<zd. 



Prompt Attention Given to all Business Intrusted to our Care. 



DIRECTORS: 

WM. S. CARROLL, Lawyer. 

J. HENRY JUDIK, of Gray & Judik, Live Stock Commission Dealers. 

BEN J. E. SMITH, of Smith, Hanway & Co., Merchants. 

JOHN P. AMMIDON, of Ammidon & Co., Merchants. 

D. D. MALLORY, Capitalist. 

W. N. WYETH, Iron Merchant. 

RUFUS WOODS, of Fink Bros. & Co., Wholesale Grocers, &c. 

CHAS. F. DIETERICH, President Chesapeake Gas Company. 

WM. H. BROWN, of Wm. H. Brown & Bro., Wholesale Druggists. 

FREDERICK C. SEEMAN, of Jno. A. Dobson & Co., Wh. Dealers in Glassware. 

W. MORRIS OREM, President Popplein Silicated Phosphate Co. 

O. A. KIRKLAND, of Matthews & Kirkland, Auctioneers. 



CORRESPONDENTS. 

Chemical National Bank, .... New York. 

Independence National Bank, . . Philadelphia. 

First National Bank, .... of Chicago. 



CHARTERED AS STATE BANK CHARTERED AS NATIONAL BANK 

1804. 1865. 



BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. 

WM. W. TAYLOR, President. W. H. WELLS, Cashier. 



Capital, $900,000. Surplus, $175,000. 



DIRECTORS. 

WILLIAM WOODWARD, WILLIAM KEYSER, 

JAMES HODGES, JAMES E. TATE, 

WM. W. TAYLOR, JAMES CAREY, 

ISAAC H. DIXON, JOHN STELLMAN, 

WILLIAM A. MARBURG, HENRY McSHANE. 



CORRESPONDENTS. 

National Hide and Leather Bank, Boston, Mass. 
National Bank of Redemption, Boston, Mass. 
National Bank of the Republic, New York, N. Y. 
Merchants National Bank, New York, N. Y. 
Commercial National Bank, New York, N, Y. 
Philadelphia National Bank, Philadelphia. 
Bank of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
Commercial Bank, Cincinnati, Ohio. 
National Bank of Illinois, Chicago, Ills. 

And at all Accessible Points in the United States. 



J. J. TURNER, President. N. M. SMITH, Vice-President. 

ALEX. Y. DOLFIELD, Cashier. 



BALTIMOXE, MB. 



Capital, $300,000. Surplus, $75,000. 



DIRECTORS. 

J. J. TURNER, N. M. SMITH, ALEX. Y. DOLFIELD, 

HENRY SMITH, J. H. YON DER HORST, FRED FAUST, 

WM. SCHWARZ, G. LEIMBACH. 



ISAAC S. GEORGE, J NO H. FOWLER, 

President. Vice-President 

CLAYTON CANNON, Cashier. 



BALTIMORE. 
Capital, $230,000. Surplus, $46,000. 



DIRECTORS: 

ISAAC S. GEORGE, of G. W. R. George & Co., Shoe Merchants. 

JOHN H. EOWLER, of Blandford, Fooler & Co., Grain Merchants. 

H. G. YICKER5T, of H. G. Yickery & Co., Yfholesale Provision Merchants. 

ALEXANDER SHAW, of Shaw Brothers, Coal Merchants and Shippers. 

THOS. C. BASSHOR, of T. C. Basshor & Co., Steam Heating, Iron Pipes, &c. 

B. B. PORTER, of R. B. Porter & Son, Carriage Hardware, Coach Trimmings, &c* 

CHARLES H. MARKLAND, Builder. 



CHIEH <5022ESPOHDEHJ?S. 

Montreal (Canada)— Bank of Montreal. 

Toronto (Canada)— Bank of Toronto. 

Boston — Freeman's National Bank. 

New York— National Bank of Commerce, and Continental National Bank. 

Philadelphia — Centennial National Bank. 

Charleston— First National Bank. 

Savannah — Merchants National Bank. 

New Orleans — State National Bank. 

San Francisco — Pacific Bank. 

Omaha — Omaha National Bank. 

Kansas Citt— National Bank, Kansas City. 

St. Louis — Commercial National Bank. 

Chicago — Atlas National Bank. 

Cincinnati— First National Bank. 

Louisville— Merchants National Bank. 



C F. DIETERICH, 

President and Engineer. 
JAMES R. CLARKE, 

Vice-President. 



WILLIAM S. CARROLL, 

Treasurer- 
ARTHUR B. PROAL, 

Secretary. 



THE 



wmmmmm mM% mmmmm 



OF 



BALTIMORE CITY, 



Office, - $. E. Conner 1 Baltimore and (know $tABfr 

Works, Bayard Street, Spring Gardens. 



C. F. DIETERICH, 
W. S. CARROLL, 
J. R. CLARKE, 

D. D. MALLORY, 



DIRECTORS: 

E. C. BENEDICT, 
H. J. DAVISON, 
C. F. TAG. 

E. J. JERZMANOWSKY, 
OLIVER REEDER. 



Citizens' Railway Company, 



OFFICE, N. W. TERMINUS- 



J. S. HAGERTY, President. 

JOS. A. BOLGIANO, Treasurer. 

WM. HAMMERSLEY, Secretary. 

C. C. SPEED, ------- Superintendent. 



Old Line — Erom Druid Hill Park, via Fulton and Pennsylvania avenues, 
Cumberland, Gilmor and Mosher streets, Carrollton avenue, Fayette, Howard, 
Lombard, Exeter and Pratt Street, to Patterson Park. Return via Baltimore, 
Ann, Pratt, Exeter, Lombard, South, North, Fayette and Carey streets, Lafayette 
avenue, Strieker, Presstman, Gilmor and Cumberland streets, Pennsylvania 
avenue, Retreat street, Druid Hill avenue to Druid Hill Park. 

New Line— From Druid Hill Park, via Fulton and Pennsylvania avenues, 
Cumberland, Gilmor, Fayette, Howard and Lombard streets, to Exchange Place. 
Return via South, North, Fayette, Gilmor and Cumberland streets, Pennsylvania 
avenue, Retreat street, Druid Hill avenue to Druid Hill Park. 

Cars run every four or six minutes, from 5.30 A M to 12 P. M. 



North Baltimore Passenger Railway Company. 



JAMES L. McLANE, C. MORTON STEWART, 

President and General Manager. Treasurer. 

THOMAS J. WILSON, Secretary. 



Cars Start 6 A. M. Run till Midnight. 

Linden Avenue Lines. —Cars marked "Boundary," from North avenue and 
Charles-street avenue, via McMechen street, Linden avenue, Howard, Lexington, 
Charles, German and South streets, Exchange place, Holliday street to City Hall. 
Return via North, South, German, Charles and Saratoga streets, Park avenue, 
Franklin, Howard and Richmond streets, Linden avenue, McMechen street. 
North avenue to Charles-street avenue. First car leaves North avenue and 
Charles street 6 A. M., last car 11.30 P. M. First car leaves City Hall 6.30 A. M. 
and last car 12.00 Midnight. Intervals four minutes. 

Cars marked " Waverley," from Waverley to North avenue and Charles street- 
avenue, and from thence over same route as cars marked "Boundary." First 
car 6.30 A. M., last car 10.56 P. M. First car leaves City Hall 7.15 A. M., last 
car 11.41 P. M. Intervals fifteen minutes. 

Cars marked "Linden Avenue Extended," from North avenue and Linden 
avenue, via Linden avenue, Howard, Centre, Charles, German and South streets, 
Exchange place, Holliday street, to City Hall. Return via North, South, Ger- 
man, Charles, Centre, Howard and Richmond streets, Linden avenue, to North 
avenue. First car leaves 7.30 A. M., last car 8.50 P. M. First car leaves City 
Hall 7.58 A. M., last car 8.18 P. M. Intervals ten minutes. 

Maryland Avenue Line. — Cars marked " Camden and Union Stations," from 
Huntingdon avenue and York Road, via Charles street avenue, North and Mary- 
land avenues, Biddle and Howard streets, to Camden Station. Return same 
route. First car 6 A. M., last car 11.00 P. M. First car leaves Camden Station 
6.30 A. M., last car 11.32 P. M. Intervals six minutes. 

Edmondson Avenue Line. — Cars marked "Edmondson and Fulton Avenues," 
from Edmondson and Fulton avenues, via Fremont, Franklin, Howard, Lexing- 
ton, Charles, German and South streets, Exchange place, Holliday street, to City 
Hall. Return via North, South, German, Charles and Saratoga streets, Park 
avenue, Franklin and Fremont streets, Edmondson avenue to" Fulton avenue. 
First car 6 A.M., last car 11.30 P. M. First car leaves City Hall 6.30 A. M., last 
car 12.00 Midnight. Intervals four minutes. 

Fremont Street Line. — Cars marked "Fremont Street," from Linden avenue 
and McMechen street, via McMechen, Division, Mosher and Fremont streets, to 
Edmondson avenue. Return same route. First car 7.15 A. M., last car 9.40 
P. M. First car leaves Edmondson avenue and Fremont street 7.36 A. M., last 
car 10.00 P. M. Intervals fifteen minutes. 

Centre and East Monument Street Line. — Cars marked " Calvert and Western 
Maryland Stations," from Franklin and Howard streets, via Howard, Centre, 
High Hillen and East Monument streets, to Johns Hopkins Hospital. Return 
same route. First car 6.25 A. M., last car 11.00 P. M. First car leaves Johns 
Hopkins Hospital 7.00 A. M., last car 11.25 P. M. Intervals ten minutes. 

Free transfers given at Howard and Franklin streets, Linden avenue and 
McMechen street, and Fremont street and Edmondson avenue. 



Baltimore Union Passenger Railway Company. 



OFFICE, 



S. E. Cor Oak and Huntingdon Avenues, 

BALTIMORE COUNTY. 



NELSON PERIN, President. 

T. C. ROBBINS, Superintendent. 

E. J. D. CROSS, - - - - - - Treasurer. 

LEON FENDER, Secretary. 



Columbia Avenue and John Street Line— From Washington Avenue, near Carey 
street, via Washington and Columbia avenues, Paca, Camden, Howard and 
Liberty streets, Park avenue, Townsend and John streets, to North avenue and 
Park. Return same route. Cars run every five minutes. 

Maryland Avenue Line — From Huntington avenue, near Oalc street, via 
Maryland avenue, Biddle street, Park avenue, Liberty, Howard and Conway 
streets, to Light street wharf. Return same route. Cars run every five minutes. 

Lombard Street Line — From Pratt street and Frederick avenue, via Pratt, 
■Gilmor, Lombard, Howard, Pratt to South street, to Exchange Place, Holliday 
•street, City Hall and return. Cars run every five minutes. 



Baltimore, Catois* k 1 I Passenger Railway. 



Cars run from Pratt street and Frederick road every hour to Catonsville 
from 6 A. M. to 10 P. M., and every half hoar to and from Loudon Park. Connect 
with Pratt and Lombard street cars. 



Cars run from Oak and Huntingdon avenues to Hampden, Woodberry, and 
Roland avenue to Merry man's Lane and return by same route. Motors run 
♦every twenty minutes. 



Balfapfe difaj pa^enger I(ailwaiJ. 



Office, Cor. Calvert and Baltimore Streets. 



©DEN BOWIE, JOHN BCLGIANO, 

PRESIDENT AND SUPERINTENDENT. TREASURER. 



Cars Start 5.30 A. ML— Ran till 1.30 A M. 



Madison Avenue and Broadway Line. — From Druid Hill Park, v'a Madison ave., 
Eutaw and Baltimore streets, Broadway, to Thames street. Return same route. 
Cars leave the station every four minutes. 

Pennsylvania Avenue and Canton Line. — From Pennsylvania avenue and Cum- 
berland street, via Pennsylvania avenue, Greene, Baltimore and Albemarle streets, 
Eastern and Central avenues, Bank street, Patterson-Park avenue, Essex, Lan- 
caster, Chesapeake, Elliott and Toone streets, to Highland avenue. Return via 
Highland avenue, Toone, Clinton, Elliott, Chesapeake, Lancaster and Essex 
streets, Patterson-Park avenue, Bank street, Central avenue, Eastern avenue 
High, Baltimore and Greene streets, Pennsylvania avenue, to Cumberland street. 
Cars run at intervals of six minutes. 

Franklin Square Line. — From Baltimore street, near Calverton road, via Balti- 
more and Gay streets, Belair avenue, to North avenue. Return via Belair avenue, 
Gay, Chew, Ensor, Gay and Baltimore streets, to Calverton road. Cars leave 
stations every four minutes. 

Xorth and South Baltimore Line — From St. Paul street and Sixth street (Hunt- 
ingdon avenue), via St. Paul street, North avenue, Charles, Read, Calvert, Balti- 
more, Hanover, Montgomery and Light streets, to foot of Marshall avenue. 
Return via Marshall avenue, Light, Montgomery, Sharp, Baltimore, Calvert, 
Read and Charles streets, North avenue, St. Paul street to Sixth street (Hunting- 
don avenue). Cars run at intervals of five minutes^ 

Baltimore and Hall Springs Line — Cars leave Darley Park every 13 minutes 
from 6 A. M. to 11.30 P. M., for Camden Station, Harford Road, connecting at 
Darley Park with cars for Homestead and Hall Springs every hour from (3 A. M. 
to 10.45 P. M. 



Baltimore and Yorktown Turnpike Road Company, 



SAMUEL H. TAGART, 

A. D. SANKS, 

GEORGE A. CAMPBELL, 



President. 

Superintendent. 

Secretary. 



The Cars Run to Towson every hour, Govanstown every half hour, Waverlf 
every fifteen minutes, 

W. R. WEAVER & CO. 

Civil tngineer?, Piling, Wharf and Bridge Building, 

Street Pavers, Grading, Draining, 

AND GENERAL CONTRACTORS. 

Office, 14 N. Holliday Street, Baltimore. 





JOSHUA HORNER, Jr. & CO. 

MANUFACTURERS OK 

Pure Animal Bone Fertilizers, 

BOWLY'S WHARF AND WOOD ST. 
BALTIMORE. 

No. 239 South Street, Baltimore, Md. 

Manufacturers and Importers 

Strictly Pure Raw Bone Meal, Strictly Pure Dissolved Raw Bones, 

Animal Bone and Potash Compound. Double Eagle 

Phosphate, from Green Animal Bone Stock. 

And High Grade Chemicals. Special Brands of any desired Analysis, or by any Formula, 

Made to Order. 



OTJEl POLICE, 

Firemen and. Letter Carriers all wear trie 

HANNAFORD VENTILATED RUBBER BOOTS. 

The only Boots made that will not sweat or chill the feet. "Will keep the feet dry and warm. 
A. B. WHITE LOCK, - Sole Agent for Maryland and District of Columbia, 

No. V2, N. HOLLIDAY STREET. 




Extract from Statesient 



Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 

"The Leading Industrial Insurance Company of America." 

ASSETS, $5,000,000.00. 

Amount Paid to Beneficiaries, $14,000,000. Number of Death Claims Paid last Year, 22,000. 

JOSEPH F. KNAPP, President, 

JOHN R. HEGEMAM, Vice-President, STEWART L. WOODFORD, Counsel. 

DIRECTORS— Joseph F. Knapp, President of the Company; Hon. Thomas L. James, 

ex-Postmaster-General of theTJ. S., Prest. Lincoln National Bank, New York: Hon. William 

Henry Arnoux, formerly Judge Superior Court of the City of N. Y., Counsellor at Law ; Hon. 

Silas B. Dtttchee, President Dim- Savings Bank, New York ; Hon. Enoch L. Fancher, Judge 

of the Court of Arbitration, New York ; D. C. Ripley, retired, New York ; Charles Cttrtiss, 

Prest. Dry Dock Savings Bank, New York: John M. Crane, Prest. National Shoe and Leather 

BankjNew York : James L. Stewart, retired, New York ; Emery M. Van Tassel, Merchant, 

New York ; Eli Beard, Merchant, New York. H. Toulmin, Merchant, New York ; John R. 

Hegeman, Vice-President of the Company. 

West Baltimore Office, 128 N. Eutaw St. DANIEL SEAMAN, Supt. 

Associated Firemen's Insurance Co. of Baltimore, 

No. 4 SOUTH STREET. 

Recognized for Explicit Policies and Prompt Payment of Losses. Insure 

Property in and out of the City. 

JOHN GUSHING, - - President. 



James C. Whkeden, 
James W. Flack, 
S. H. Cattghy, 
Capt. Alex. Jones, 
Edward Connolly, 
G. Hawkins Williams. 
Frank Frick, 



DIRECTORS. 

Benjamin F. Bennett, 
Michael Jenkins, 
Clinton P. Paine, 
l. w. gunther, 
James Young, 
Isaacs. Geo kge. 



William J. Hooper, 
William F. Burns, 
Joseph H. Rieman, 
Alonzo Lilly, Jr. 
Wm. Baker, Jr. 
John Gushing. 

JOHN C. BOYD, Secretary. 



New York Life Insurance Company, 3is Broadway, h«t York. 

W. H. BEERS, President. • HENRY TUCK, Vice-President. 
Cash Assets Jan. 1st, 1887, $75,421,453.37. Cash Surplus Jan. 1st, 1887, $15,549,310.53. 

Originated non-forfeiture. Omits suicide clause in policies. 

Interest largely exceeding death-rate. Affords most varied plans and profitable con- 
tracts. Its investment Return-Premium Policies unsurpassed in cheapness and profit to 
insurers. Southeastern Department, No. 8 South Street, Baltimore. Md. 

J. E. Jacobs, General Manager. Dr. W. H. Curry. Dep't Supt. Agendo.-,. 



FURNESS LINE. 



S.S. Durham City, 3092 tons, C.R. S.S. Newcastle City, 2129 tons, C.R 
Baltimore City, 2795 " " j " Wetherby, 2129 

Gothenburg City, 2526 " " " "Washington City 2296 
York City, 2325 " " " Boston City, 2334 

Ripon City, 2141 " " " Damara, 1779 

Stockholm City, 2686 " " " Ulunda, 1789 

SERVICES. 
Boston to London. Baltimore to Antwerp. 

Halifax " " Montreal " Newcastle. 

(Under contract with the Dominion Government.) "NTottt "Vr»T>V " " 

Baltimore to London. 



(In connection with the Wilson Line.) 

Through Bills of Ladies; issued to and from all the principal Baltic, Continental, 
Mediterranean and Oriental Ports. 

FOR FREIGHT OR OTHER PARTICULARS APPLY TO 

C. FURNESS, Managing Owner. 

HEAD OFFICE-West Hartlepool, England. 

BRANCHES. 

Nos. 17 and 18 King Street, 130 State Street. No. 11 S. Gay Street, 

Newcastle on Tyne. Boston, Mass. Baltimore, M(L 



Baltimore and Ohio Express. 

GENERAL EXPRESS FORWARDERS. 

Special, Exclusive, FAST EXPRESS TRAINS to the West, 
Northwest and Southwest. 

Through Car and Through Trunk System, 

All Goods Forwarded in Charge of Bonded Men, especially trained for 
the Service. 

Rates Low. Service Prompt and Effective. Responsibility Unsurpassed* 
W. H. TR EGO, General Manager. 

Baltimore Transfer Company 

Local and Baggage Express, 

Main Office, 217 E. Baltimore Street, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 

Goods of every description handled with safety and dispatch. Safes and 
Heavy Machinery a Specialty. Bonded Goods handled in Bonded Trucks. 
Coaches of every description in the Passenger Department. Facilities practica- 
bly unlimited. 

GEIGAX & CO., Proprietors. 



■THE- 



Baltimore and Ohio 

RAIL ROAD 

RUNS TWO EXPRESS TRAINS DAILY, EACH WAY BETWEEN 



BALTIMORE 


AND 


PITTSBURGH, 


BALTIMORE AND CINCINNATI, 


BALTIMORE 


AND 


ST. LOUIS, 


BALTIMORE 


AND CHICAGO. 



All these Trains are equipped with elegant Day Coaches and luxurious 
Palace Sleeping Cars, and all run VIA WASHINGTON. 



The B. & 0. Dining Car Service 

Is unexcelled either in quality of meals served or attention bestowed 
upon patrons. 

Limited Express Trains— No Extra Fare. 

Eighteen Trains are run each way between 

BALTIMORE AND WASHINGTON. 

Limited Express Train Time to Washington 45 Minutes. 



TICKET OFFICES IN BALTIMORE : 

Cor. Baltimore and Calvert Streets, No. 1432 W. Baltimore 

Street, No. 230 South Broadway, and Camden 

Street Station. 

W. M. CLEMENTS, C. K. LORD, 

Manager. General Passenger Agent. 



Northern Central 

RAILWAY. 

Tlxe HDirect and Shortest Line 

—TO THE- 

COAL and OiL REGIONS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 

CENTRAL NEW YORK, NIAGARA FALLS, 

THE GREAT LAKES, 

THE CITIES OP THE NORTHWEST AND CANADA. 



Equipment Complete ! Appointment Perfect ! 
Through Sleeping Cars to Rochester. 

Prompt Connection witli Ota Roads in Union Stations. . 
Most Desirable Route to the West, 

VIA HARRISBURG-. 

Through Sleepers to St. Louis and Chicago, 

-AND- 

From Harrisliiirg to Cincinnati, Lonisville anfl Memphis. 

Standard Rates Based on the Minimum Consistent 
with Good and Careful Management. 

OHAS. B. PUGH, J. R. WOOD, 

General Manager. General Pass. Agent. 



piffla., Wilmington and Baltimore \ \ 

-THE- 

ONLY DIRECT LINE TO NEW YORK 

-RUNNING- 
THROUGH DAY COACHES, 

PARLOR, SLEEPING 

and DINING CARS. 



The Old Established Route to Philadelphia. 

Twelve Trains to New York Week Days. 

Seven on Sundays. 
Fourteen to Philadelphia Week Days. 

Eight on Sundays. 



«a— «-*-e»-c=- 



Baltimore and Potomac R. R. 

DOUBLE TRACK. STEEL RAIL ROUTE. 

Terminating in the Heart of the National Capital, 



SEVENTEEN TRAINS ON WEEK DAYS. 

ELEVEN ON SUNDAYS. 

Connection in "^7"a,sningrton for 

All Points in the South and Southwest 

Without Transfer of Person or Baggage. 

CHAS. B, PTJGU, J. R. WOOD, 

General Manager. General Pass. Agent. 



Western Maryland 

RAIL ROAD. 



CONNECTING WITH 



VIRGINIA, TENNESSEE AND GEORGIA AIR LINE, 



Shenandoah Valley Route, 

The New All Rail Freight and Passenger Line Between ' 
Baltimore and Southern and Southwestern Points. 

THE SHORT LINE 

-TO- 

Westminster, Frederick, Taney town, 

Emmittsburg, Hagerstown, Williamsport, Md, 
Waynesboro, Chambersburg, Shippensburg, 

Hanover, Gettysburg-, Pa, 



Passenger Equipment First-Class. 

SCENERY UNSURPASSED. 

Unequalled Attractions to Excursionists, Tourists and those 
seeking Summer Resorts. 

J. M. HOOD, B. H. GRISWOLD, 

General Manager. Gen' I Freight and Pass. Agent 

BALTIMORE, MD. 



Baltimore Fire Insurance Company 

INCORPORATED 1807- 

S. W. Corner South and "Water Streets. 

This Company INSURES AGAINST LOSS OR DAMAGE BY FIRE in the City 
or Country, on the various descriptions of Property. 

WILLIAM C. PENNINGTON, President. 
BOARD OE 1 DIRECTORS. 
Francis T. King, Wm. W. Taylor, Austin Jenkins, 

Wm. H. Brune, W. C. Pennington, Gilmor Mekedith, 

Herman Von Kapff, Mendes Cohen, Isaac F. Nicholson, 

C. Morton Stewart, James G. Wilson, Charles K. Harrison, 

B. F. Newcomer, Stewart Brown, 

M. K. BURCH, Secretary. 

Maryland Fire Insurance Co. 

INCORPORATED 1858. 

OFFICE— Maryland Building, Cor. Second St. and Post Office Ave. 



WM. R. BARRY, - - - President. 



BOARD OF DIRECTORS: 

Richard J. Baker, Samuel Snowden, Pierre C. Dugan, 

Solomon King, Washington Booth, John H. Brinklet, 

Wm. H. Millikin, Henry Wilcox, German H. Hunt, 

E. W. Robinson, James E. Tyson, R. Tynes Smith, 

JOHN M. BECK, Secretary. 

American Fire Insurance Company of Baltimore, 

No. 6 SOUTH STREET. 

A. ROSZEL CATHCART, President. 

BO-A-IESID OP IDXSIEC'X'OIESS : 
J. J. Turner, E. Levering, Jno. Q. A. Hollowat, 

Wm. Buehler, W. H. Baldwin, Jr. John J. Rodgers, 

Chas W. Slagle, L. Sinsheimer, Woodward Abrahams, 

Ernest Knabe, Joseph Fink, D. D. Mallory, 

Francis Burns, Bernhard Clark. Nichs. M. Smith, 

Jos. A. Edmondson, James A. Gary, Henry C. Matthews, 

Wm. S. Young, Geo. W. Hildebrand, A. Roszel Cathcart, 

Wm. Schloss, Christian Devries, John M. Littig, 

Telephone No. 745. D. C. CHAPMAN, Secretary. 

1825. 1887. 

James M. Anderson, President. F. E. S. Wolfe, Secretary. 

The Firemen's Insurance Company of Baltimore, 

N. E. Corner South and Second Streets. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS. 

Thos. W. Levering, Gustavus A. Dorgan, William A. Boyd, 

Jno. G. Reaney, David E. Woodburn, George A. Blake, 

James M. Anderson, Hugh W." Bolton, James R. Clark, 

J. Alex. Shriver, William H. Vickery, James Shut or, 

Jos. Jas. Taylor, Edwin F. Abell, George R. Berry, 

George Franck. William H. Ford, William "Reushaw, 

Thomas J. Wilson, William Whitelock, J. Franklin Dix. 

William H. Browu, A. Joseph Myers, 



GSO, T HOLLTDAY ESTABLISHED 1845. CHARLES KRAFT. 

J. O. PROUD & SONS, 

Insurance Agents and Brokers, 

S. E. Cor. Second and Holliday Streets, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 

^Stna Insurance Company of Hartford, - Assets, §9,568,839.56 

Springfield F. and M. Insurance Company, of Springfield, - " 3,044,915.24 

Guardian Assurance Company, of London, - - - - " 20,084,662.76 

Commercial Union Assurance Company, of London, - - " 11,882,968.27 



Losses Promptly Adjusted and Paid at this Agency. 

telephone call 768~2. 

Commenced Business 1865. 



German r ire Insurance Co. 

— or — 

BALTIMORE, MD. 
N. E. COR. BALTIMORE AND HOLLIDAY STREETS. 



Assets, = = $950,000. 



FREDK. WEHR, President. CHAS AYEBER, Jr., Secretary. 

J S. Maurt. Established 1875. Wm. J. Donnelly. 

J. S. MAURY & CO., 

tjeneiti IpfiMDe Ajentg and M\vt$ t 

No. 215 (Old No. 23) K- German. St. 
TELEPHONE 271. BALTIMORE. 

COMPANIES REPRESENTED. 

ORGANIZED assets. 

1851 Merchants Insurance Company of Providence, It. I. - - §420,449.07 

1865. Boatrfians Fire and Marine Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa. - - 432,139.10 

1860. Equitable Fire and Marine Ins. Co. of Providence, R. I. - 520,640.12 

1818. American Insurance Co. of Boston, Mass. .... 622,283 29 

1851. Western Assurance Co. of Toronto, Can. (TJ. S. Branch), - 952,743.09 

1799 Providence Washington Ins. Co. of Providence, R. I. - - 960,429.23 

American Steam Boiler Ins. Co. of New York. 
Cash Capital, 8500,000. Assets, §679,386.20 



ax&uHBax! 




FIRE, LIFE, MARINE, 

RCCIEENT, PLATE ELRSS, 

BOILER ME &URRHNTEE 



WALTEE S 9 WI3LKINSON, 

General Agent and Broker, 

NO. 5 CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, 



W T WALTERS. 
« WALTERS 



Room 16, Chamber of Commerce, 

^Baltimoee. 



WHOLESALE AND RETAIL 

CURTAIN POLES, ETC., ETC. 

And everything needed for the Upholstering of Old and New Furniture 
36 HANOVER STREET, C, SIDNEY NORRIS A, CO. 



THE 

Maryland Life Insurance Company of Baltimore. 

Assets, $1,330,000.00 

Surplus as to Polioy-Holders, over - 300,000.00 

Office in Company's Building, 

lO South Street, - Baltimore. 

WM. H. BLACKFORD, President. 

CLAYTON C. HALL, Actuary. 

Frank Donaldson, M. D m Medical Director. 

S. C. Chew, M. D., Consulting Physician. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: 

Hamilton Easter, mrnilton Easter & Sons, 

Hugh Sisson, Hugh Sisson & Sons. 

Thomas Cassard, Vice-President Citizens' National Bank. 

Christian Devries, President National Bank of Baltimore. 

"Wm. H. Perkins, Perkins & Co. 

C. Morton Stewart, C. Morton Stewart & Co. 

Douglas H. Thomas, President Merchants National Bank. 

John Gill, President Mercantile Trust and Deposit Company. 

Wm. H. Blackford, President of the Company. 

INSURE IN THE MARYLAND LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY. 

The special features of this Company to which attention is directed, are: 

ist. The security of the Insurance granted, by reason of the solid character of its invest- 
ments, its large surplus, and the rigid care in the selection of its risks. 

2d. The reputation of the Company for honorable dealing with its policy-holders, and 
the p?yment of all claims against it without delay or litigation. 

Before insuring your life write for the documents of this Company, which will explain. 
its plans, etc. 

Office, Company's Building. No. 10 South Street, Baltimore, 5Ed. 

GEORGE S. BROWN'S 

COTTON PRESS AND STORAGE WAREHOUSES, 



The Compressing and Storage of Cotton is carried on at the Wharf and 

"Warehouses at the foot of Bond Street, known as Wells' Wharf. 

Insurance can be effected for short periods at a pro rata proportion of 

annual rate. 

Address 

J. B. WELLS, Manager, 

Telephone No. 809. 

GENERAL MERCHANDISE 

Taken on Storage at the adjoining property, known as Brown's Wharf, at the 

foot of Broadway. 
Address 

JOHN R. GOULD, Agent, 

Telephone No. 126.- 



PATTERSON, RAMSAY & CO. 
STEAM SHIP AGENTS 



AND 



SHIP BROKERS, 

DONNELL BUILDING, GAY STREET, 

BALTIMOEE, MP. 

The Baltimore Storage and Lighterage Co. 
STEAMSHIP AGENTS 

AND 

SHIP BROKERS, 

RIALTO BUILDING, 409 SECOND ST. 
BALTIMOEE. 

Chesapeake and European Lines. 

GUSTAVUS & CO. 

pte&mggip Agents and $Mp Bi^ei?, 

NO. 19 SOUTH GAY STREET, 

BALTIMORE. 
Emerson Pokes' Packet Line to Jacksonville. Fla. 

Slx±x>^>i=n-g &c Ooininission, 

And Dealer in all kinds of Piling and Locust Treenails, 
Office, 518 East Pratt Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 



WILLIAM WILKINS & CO. 

Steam Curled Hair and Bristle Manufacturers, 

217 Pearl Street, 310 W. Pratt Street, 

NEW YORK. BALTIMORE. 



The Maryland Steamboat Co. of Baltimore. 

Howard B. Ensign, President ; James E. Byrd, Secretary and Treasurer. 

OFFICE, 302 LIGHT STREET, BALTIMORE, MD. 
Directors— Gilmor Meredith, Enoch Pratt, John W. D. Pentz, Henry Janee, 
Howard B. Ensign. 

Steamers Jcppa, Ida, Enoch Pratt, Samuel J. Pentz and Kent. 

The Steamers of the Maryland Steamboat Company leave Baltimore from Piera 
3, 4 and 4>£ Light Street as follows : 

For Easton, Oxford, Cambridge and Landings on Choptank River. — 
Steamers Ida and Joppa alternately at 9.00 P. M. Daily, except Sunday, the 
Steamer leaving on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday extending trip to 
Denton, and the Steamer leaving on other days trip ending at Medford's. 

For Great Wicomico River, Va., Dividing and Dtmer's Creeks, Milford 
Haven and Piankatank River. — Steamer Kent at 5.00 P. M. every Tuesday 
and Friday, making all intermediate landings, to Freeport. 

For Salisbury, Deal's Island, Roaring Point, Honga and Wicomico 
Rivers.— Steamer Enoch Pratt at 5.00 P. M. every Tuesday, Thursday and 
Saturday. 

For Annapolis, West, Rhode and South Rivers. — Steamer Samuel J. Pentz 
Daily, except Sunday, at 7.30 A. M., for Annapolis, extending trip to West and 
Rhode Rivers on Monday, Wednesday and Friday ; to South River Tuesday and 
Thursday, and to West River Saturday. Returning, leave Annapolis at 3.00 
P. M., arriving in Baltimore at 5.30 P. M. 

The Chester River Steamboat Company, 

PIER No. 7 LIGHT STREET WHARF, 

For KENT ISLAND, QUEENSTOWN, 

EASTERN NECK ISLAND, GREY'S INN, 
OENTREVILLE, QUAKER NECK, BOOKER'S, 

ROLPH'S, CHESTERTOWN, CRUMPTON, 

And all Intermediate Landings on the Chester and Corsica Rivers. 
SEE SCHEDULE IN DAILY PAPERS. 

GEO. WARFIELD, President. 

THE EASTERN SHORE STEAMBOAT COMPANY, 

OF BALTIMORE. 



STEAMERS EASTERN SHORE, TANGIER, MAGGIE AND HELEN 

FOR LANDINGS IN 

Somerset and Worcester Counties, Maryland, and 
Accomac and Northampton Counties, Virginia. 

FOUR TIMES A WEEK JANUARY 1st TO APRIL 30th. DAILY, EXCEPT 

SATURDAYS, MAY TO DECEMBER, FROM SOUTH STREET 

WHARF, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. 

P. R. CLARK, General Agent, 

Foot of South Street. 



T@mm mrwrnm uns, 

THE POPULAR ROUTE BETWEEN 

Baltimore, Richmond 

-Aja.3. all I?ieca.na.©2a.t .^.Ir-X-iiiies, 

FINE STEAMERS. LARGE AIRY STATEROOMS. 

Tables Supplied -with Every Delicacy of the Season. 



Steamers BALTIMORE and DANVILLE 

Leave Pier 2 Light-Street Wharf Daily (Sunday Excepted), 
At 4 o'clock P. M. 

Connecting at West Point, Va., with Richmond and Danville Rail Road for 
Richmond and all Points South. 



^teffi IMii!§ §|§^^M(p§ 

PROM 

BALTIMORE to LIVERPOOL, 

Via Halifax and St. Johns N. F. 

Cabin $65. Intermediate $30. Steerage $20. 

Jllorddquhcher pogd Ste&tqshipf 

FROM 

BALTIMORE to BREMEN Direct, 

Cabin $60. Steerage at Low Rates. 

From NEW YORK to BREMEN via Southampton, 

Cabin to Bremen, London or Havre. 

Summer Kates— $175, $150, $125, $100. 

Winter Kates— $125, $100, $90, $80, $75. 
For Freight or Passage apply to 

A. SCHUMACHER & CO. 
Gtneral Agents for "Allan Line" and "Norddeutscher Lloyd." 



Wholesale, HQAL aa=L.c3- "WOQTl Retail. 
Wharf, Head of Union Dock. 

No. 2 S. Paca Street. | BRANCH YARDS: | Pratt and Register Streets. 
Telephone Nos. 205-2 Paca St. and 205-3 Second St. Office, 317 Second Street. 



ESTABLISHED 1837. 



T, Bd-^raid Bird cSs Co 



IMPORTERS AND RETAILERS 



LONG IDENTIFIED AS SHOWING ALWAYS A SUPERB COLLECTION OP 

FOREIGN ASID DOMESTIC FABRICS AT LOWEST PRICES. 

Our aim is to give our customers the best class of Goods at the lowest market value. Our 
stock is now complete and very attractive. We have One Price Only, which we guarantee 
to be as low as the same goods can be bought anywhere, and which very often will be found 
to be much lower. We hold ourselves strictly responsible lor all representations made in re- 
gard to the goods. Any article not turning out as represented can be returned and the money 
for same will be cheerfully refunded. A share of your patronage is respectfully solicited. 

J. EDWARD BIRD & CO. 

Baltimore Street, (near Charles,) Baltimore, M&. 

J3IF = Strict Attention to Mail Orders. 

ESTABLISHED 1831. 

Mill » f IBlll 4 it 



W% 



Importers and Jobbers of 



IKCOIFIKIIlSrS PLACE, 



COR. SHARP, GERMAN and LIBERTY STS. 



{ohn E. Hurst, 
jttleton B. Purnfll 



Lloyd L Jackson, 
Wm E. Clarke, 
Wm. B. Hurst. 



IS a l/ti vHo^e, 



:b< 



HAMILTON ESSTER & SONS 

ARE IMPORTERS, JOBBERS AND RETAILERS OF 




OE EVERY DESCRIPTION, 

WHITE MARBLE BUILDING, 

Baltimore Street, East of Charles St. 



STBAUSS BEOS. 

Wholesale Dealers in. 



ill ©©©© 



39 HOPKINS PLACE, 



BALTIMORE. 




Importers and Manufacturers 

+ 



'? 





R. Q. Taylor, 
G. E. S. Lansdownk 
Robert Millikin, 
A. K. Taylor. 



OPPOSITE BARNUM'S HOTEL, 



ARMSTRONG, CSTOR & CO. 

IMPORTERS AND JOBBERS OF 

§5il§ <^ca3s anfl ]V[ilIinEi[y, 

© sund. 11 T7v7\ Ba/Ltiaaciore Street, 

We carry the Largest Line of lifPM^M^ Mm 
Millinery in U. S. @^44^^^fe^ mw» 

L. WITZ. 



I. WITZ. W. T. BIEDLEK. S. R. TKEGELLAS. 

WITZ, BIEDLEK & CO., 

jobbers of 

mmn ©©©©© &®w sKDvaa>ao 9 

210 "W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore. 

& & lilll & §§* 5 Matttlu 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

Flaviqe and l\lml$ Qutf cifrq Bar^, 

KICORXCB MASS, 
B^LTIIMIOIRim [MULLS, 

Corner Boston and Elliott Streets, 

B ALTIMORE. MP . 

T. A. BRYAN & CO. 

Steam Candy Manufacturers, 

S. W. Cor. Eutaw and Baltimore Streets. 

BALTIMORE), MD. 



poshbb 

LARGEST RETAIL HOUSE IN THE SOUTH, 
:Nos. 215, 217 and 219 Lexington Street. 

Oldest Dry Goods House in Baltimore. 



CHAS. SIMON & SONS, 

208 N. Howard Street, BALTIMORE, MD, 

ESTABLISHED 1816. 



28 & 30 Hopkins Place. 25, 27 & 29 S. Liberty St. 

DANIEL IVLILI^KR & CO. 

ZStt^S!- WA hofooaU Sku (Boob* fib Motion* 



DANIEL MILLER. g|g§ YlOl^^OA^ g^ty ^fOOO$ ^ 

b/ m Ser PPLEB ' HOPKINS PLACE, BALTIMORE. 

P I [UU P enUiliipilil&Biiiilmlilll 

Ol LLl I QL uUHj 223 Lexington St., bet. Park and Howard. 
S. ROSENTHAL. & CO. 

Siftib T§!r?§tli$ Bffiii ffliiii^ tattle Dalffiliitlii^ 

Trimmings, Wraps, Underwear, Hosiery, Notions, &c. 
Nos. 7 and 9 West Lexington Street, near Charles Street, 

BA.I, TIMOR©, BSD, 

Millinery, Kid Gloves, Fancy Goods, etc. 
No. 14 W. Lexington Street, 

] Near Charles, BALTIMORE. MD. 



D, J, GOLDENBERG 



Importer of Kid Gloves, 

No. 101 Lexington Street, S. W. Cor, Liberty, 
BALTIMORE, MD. 

JULIUo bu I IVIAN k III 201 and 203 Lexinston street ' 



MCor. Park Avenue, BALTIMORE, MD. 




2vCod.erzi Office Devices. 



HWECKENDIEK&fp. 



No. 104 "West Baltimore Street, 

OPP. HOPKINS PLACE. BALTIMORE. 



JOHN W. HORNER. 
W. FRANK HORNER. 



J. ABNER SAYLOR. 



JAMES PRESTON, 
EUGENE C. BARRICK. 



JOHN A. HORNER & CO. 

IMPORTERS AND JOBBERS OF 

Wotioqg, po^ier 1 ^, While [joodg, ^c. 

USTo- 308 ~^7\. Baltimore Street, 
BALTIMOMB, MH. 

Manufacturers of the Celebrated Renroh Dress Shirts and Overalls. 
JOEL GS-TTTIbvdr.A.^T <Sc CO. 

IMPORTERS AND RETAILERS OF 

BtX^HB^ $$S^$ COO^S *a4 W8Af$ t 

Acrce Curtains, Upholstery Goods, Laces, Ladies' Fancy Dry Goods, etc. 
112 to 122 North Eutaw Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

Geo. J. Johnson. Wm. Boyd. "VV. McKim Hogg. 

JOHNSON, BOYD & CO. 

IMPORTERS AND JOBBERS 

HOSIERY, HOTIOHS, WHITE gOOi^j 

And Gents' Furnishings, 

aTo- 3 Hanover Stre et, BALTIMORE, MD- 

212 N. Howard Street, 



IMPORTERS OF 



41 M4 



4 



French Model "Wraps, Trimmings, Lace Curtains, Hosiery, 

Gloves, Handkerchiefs. Embroideries, Laces, Ribbons, 

Fans, Linens, House-Keeping Linens, Umbrellas, 

Ladies' Muslin and Cambric Underwear, 

Merino Underwear, &c. 

JNO. W. LINTON. GEO. W. KIKWAN. 

ilUTOfl ^ KlflWAN, Jl 

Manufacturers of 

©RBSS SHIRTS, 

Undei'toeai 1 and Mecl^toeai 1 , 

And Importers of 

Men's fine Furnishings and Requisites, 

STORES— 29 E. Baltimore St., near Light. 311 E. Baltimore St. , near Ho 1 1 id ay. 





KL. J. FAHIBEIX «fc CO. 

ooiurii^cissioiisr n^EKoi^^-nsrars, 

Sliirts, Zira-wers and Hosieries, 

No. 20 HANOVER STREET, BALTIMORE. 

New York Office, Ino. 100 Franklin Street. 

O. BKESC^EB 6Z CO. ~ 

Impci[tei[s anfl Gcmmissicn ]V^ei|c^ants, 

No. 85 GERMAN STREET, 

BALTIMORE . 

COMMISSION MERCHANTS, 

Cotton Yarns, Ropes, Twines, Carpet Warps, Bags, 
"Wicks, Batts, Plaids, Comforters. 

IQ7 W, German Street, BALTIMORE. 

TATE, JMIJIvL/BR & CO. 

Coramission Zk^Cexcla-strrts, 

BALTIMORE . 

ESTABLISHED 1825. 

E- LABEABEE <Sc SOIbTS, 

OoD^CLnrLlssIorL ;L^erc3n.a,rLts^ 

HIDES, LEATHER AND SHOE FINDING-S, 
No. 20 South Calvert Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

MARTIN WAGNER & CO. 

111 m tittt won 

Nos. 109, 111, 113 and 115 Boston Street, 

Poot of Concord Stre et, Cant on, BALTIMORE, MD, 

ESTABLISHED 1839. 

TOSIfcT BTTLXjOCIK: <2* SOIT, 

MANUFACTURERS OP 

fis§ lii© ®m®l aai ltii®l?it ffmsi Esw B£a©» 

Store, No. 205 Smith's Wharf. Factory, "Washington Road. 



ROSENFELD BROS. 



mmm&m&w 



qtfQSja® ®©aMa£ 



wmr mmm 





hthur 





mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 



<• +V OOSeSTESS ^* „ 



galtigoHB gtoeef i[Da^el gpace. 



iilJismi t ipiMtf % 



LIKES, BERWANGER & CO. 

• lO and. 12 IEL Baltimore Street, 



Henry Likes. 

B. Berwanghr. *^*^ 

B. Katzenstein. ~ t G>° 



)Cttlil440 / ^€' ^ 



Jacob Meyeb. Saml. E. Reinhard. M. J. Metes. 

MEYER, REINHARD & CO. 

MANUFACTURERS of 

Mili% liltii* MA lift* ilitllllj 

lO and 12 North Howard Street, Baltimore, Md. 



J.&.H. Mann &Co 



Manufacturing Clothiers 

No. 305 W. Baltimore Street, 

Near Howard Street, Baltimore, Md. 



EHD-WVA-IRID TTT3STC3-, 



629 West Fayette Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

CUTTING, SCOURING AND REPAIRING NEATLY DONE. 



Nusbaum & Myers 



Manufacturers of Fine Clothing, 

J 510 SOUTH BROADWAY, 

' Baltimore, Md. 



109 and 111 West Lombard Street, 

Between Sharp and Hanover Streets, BALTIMORE, MD. 

Designers and Mamifacturprs of Exclusive 
Novelties in FINE CLOTHING. 
■ 14 W. Baltimore Streot, Baltimore, Md. 
1 703 Broadway, New York 



Schloss Bros, k Co 



L- GBIEP <S£ BRO. 
Nos. IO and 12 Hanover Street, 

BALTIMORE, M D. 

1/ I O I I Manufacturers of Fine Clothing, 272 West 

KOhn Ai \PhnOO Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Md. 

I\ fl 1 1 I l\L U L 1 1 U n U t New York O ffi ce- 628 and 630 Mercantile Exchange 

HUB I ll \fc wwiiiuuuj Building <No, 2, First Floor), Broadway, New York. 



i» 



HAMBURGER BROS. & CO. 

218 and 220 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore. 

New York Office, 486 Broadway, Corner Broome St. 

H. & £. HARTMAN & CO. 

329 and 331 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore. 

656 Broadway, New York. 

Manufacturers of 

..Fine Olotliing, 

■' No. 14 S. Howard Street, Baltimore, Hd. 
GEO. IB. CHASE <2s CO. 
FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC 

No. 8 Hanover Street, Baltimore, Md. 
HENKELMAN, JACKSON & CO. 



If 

N. E. Corner Baltimore and Liberty Sts., Baltimore, Md. 

, Agents for Samuel Addington & Co., Howse, Mead & Sons, London. 

M]tfo. 297 W. Baltimore Street, (^or. Baltimore 
and Liberty Streets, BALTIMORE, MB. 



Uietiill & Co,,. 



OABPET HOUSE, 



300 "West Baltimore Street, Cor. Howard Street, 

Leader of Art Styles of CARPETS and Lowest Prices in Baltimore. 

SO Ceaa/fc Brussels Carpet a. Specialty. 

KLIPPER, WEBSTER & CO. 

Nos. 3 and 7 South Calvert Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 



Geo. Knip?. 



Telephone Call 1210. 



Jno. C. KNirp. 



GEO. KNIPP & BRO. 

Cas Fixtures, Sanitary Plumbing; and Cas Fitting, 

Nos. 42 and 44 N. Howard Street, Baltimore, Md. 

Residence. S. E. Corner Strieker and Moshcr Streets. 
Sole Age-nts for the Economy Gas Cooking Stoves. 



GOODY EAR' S RUBBER HOUSE. 

£, Boots anfl Shoes, Sporting , 

BALTIMORE AND CHARLES STREETS, BALTIMORE, ML. 



JNO. A. LATVRK2TCE. CHAS. E. BERKY. 

LAWRENCE, BERRY & CO. 

Manufacturers' Agents and Cash Jobbers 

SHOMS f 

BALTIMORE, jVTD. 

FRANK & ADLER, 

"Wholesale Dealees tA 

Nos. 314 and 316 W. Baltimore Street, 

Between Liberty and Howard, BALTIMORE, MD. 

DAWSON H. STEVENSON. HORACE SL1NGLUFF. 

Jobbers and Manufacturers of 

BOOTS .A-aTXD SHOES, 

No. 307 W. GERMAN STREET, 

Between Howard and Eutaw, BALTIMORE, M D . 

W. A. Tttck.ee. J. Mtjllex, Jb. T. L. Bean. 

TUCKER, SMITH & CO., 

BOOTS AND SHOES, 

EST-A-BULISZEXIEID 1854. 

295 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore. 

BUCK, C-A.TOB dc 1TEER. 

Manufacturers and Jobbers of 

TS AN 

No. 109 W. GERMAN ST., BALTIMORE. 

Established 1790. 

THE GEO. N. MACKENZIE COMPANY, 

Manufacturers, Importers and Dealers in 

Fine Harness and Saddlery, Trunks and Traveling Bags, 

Horse G-oods and Turf Supplies of Every Description.. 
No. 22 South Charles Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

THOMAS DEFORD. BENJ. F DEFORD. 

DEPORD 6c CO. 

Scoured Backs and Side Leather, Rough Butts, Scoured Bellies and Heads, 
Omce, Cor. Calvert and Lombard Sts. BALTIMORE, MD. 

Tanneries— Luray First National, Carroll, New Cheek and Ross. 



'9 



EDWIN BENNETT, 

China TXT^^e Pactobt, 
Also Manufacturer of Roofing Tiles, 

Corner Canton and Central Aves. BALTIMORE, MD. 

"WM. SHIRLEY. H. C. SHIKLEY. 

S^KTTZJLOB'ir SZ SON, 

Importers and Dealers in 

No. 5 S. CALVERT ST., BALTIMORE. 



Andrew J. George. 



ESTABLISHED 18S2. 



Wm. K. Johnson. 



Manufacturers' Agents for 

Elo, 2Q GERMAN ST„, BALTjjjjIORE, 

IMPORTERS OF ' 

Lamps, Looking-Glasses, Plated Ware, Casters, Fruit Jars, &o. 

MANUFACTURERS OF STONE WARE, 

No. 27 Hanover Street, BALTIMORE, MD, 

" ASK TOUR GROCER FOR * 

CTOIKD^T -^7\ CEUETT'S 



iaJD 



-AND- 



MARYLAND BISCUITS. 



JAMES BEATTY. WM. H. BEATTY* 

Tjfi^LCES BEATTY Sz, CO. 



1 



J 

Nog. 92, 94 and 96 SUSAN'S WHARF, BALTIMORE. 

ESTABLISHED 182S. 

TTLER <Ss BBOTHEKS, 

Si3oa,xrx Cracker IBalkieirr-y-, 

Office and Salesroom— Nos. 411 «fc 413 W. Pratt Street. 
Factories— So. 202 Spear's Wharf, «& Kos. 206, 20S A 210 Patterson St. 

BALTIMORE, MD. 



D. L. Bartlett. T. J. Hayward. E. L. Bartlett. 

BARTLETT, HAYWARD & CO., Founders and Engineers, 

Office, Keyser Building, S. E. Cor. German and Calvert Streets. 
Works: Pratt and Scott Sts., Baltimore. 



£0-- 



M 




pgpN 

Architectural Iron Works, Fire-Proof Construction, Heating Apparatus, Hot 
Water and Steam, Ventilation, Galvanized Sheet Iron, and Copper Work, Gas 
Work Apparatus, Holders, etc., Boilers, Tanks and Stills, Elevators, Hydraulic 
and Steam. 

REEDER WORKS. established ibis. 

Manufactory of Marine and Stationary Steam Engines, 

MACHINERY, BOILERS and CASTINGS OF ALL KINDS. 

O REEDER & SONS, 

No. 51 Hughes Street, Baltimore, Md. 

JAMES C. GITTINGS. ERNEST GITTINGS. 

JAMES C. GITTINGS & CO. 



^s* Agents, 

No. 26 South. Charles Street, 

BJ ULTIMOHB, HP , 

PHILIP P,. VOGEL, Tr- 

No. 105 GERMAN STREET, 

Telephone Call 1218-3. B£MMORE, MD . 

ESTABLISHED 1843. 

ALEX. McCOMAS, 

MAKER AND IMPORTER OF 

Guns, Rifles, Pistols and Sportsmen's Goods, 

22 S. CALVERT STREET, BALTIMORE. 



Peoples' M/chine^d Boiler Works 



JAMES CLARK & CO. 



JOHN CAHILL, Proprietor. 




i B | M ■ II B .1 a H B ill 1 B B B B * M it Ml 1 B B B 1 H <S * B ti 1 1 B JtJm^ 



BUILDERS OF 



Machinery, &c. 
South Side of Basin, near the City Yard, 

(convenient to the marine railways), 

BALTIMORE, MD. 



POOLE dc HUUT, 

Manufacturers of 

SHAFTING, PULLEYS & HANGERS, STATIONARY STEAM ENGINES & BOILERS, 
The Poole & Sunt I.eflel Turbine Water Wheel, 




Superior Machine Molded Gearing-, Spnr, Bevel, Angle, Mortise, 

Helical, Double-Helical and Worm, Driving Plant for Cable 

Railways. Machinery for Flour Mills, Grain Elevators, 

White Lead Works, Fertiliser Factories and 

Dredging Machines. Correspondence solicited. 

mMWTWm & M^IrXfOBT, 

DEALERS IN 

SUPPLIES, 
OSTo. 22 I J ICS•^3:1 , STEEET, 

I4W Mills H®» 

112 W. Baltimore and 1 N. Libert/ Sts. 

SMI lEAtll 

Furnaces, Ranges, Fire-Place Heaters, 

2i§fe» tolls filil MSI Wl Slifits 



SNOWDEN & COWMAN, 



Manufacturers of all kinds of 




Hydraulic, Steam and Hand Elevators. 

REPAIRS PROMPTLY ATTENDED TO. 

Machine Shop and Foundry, West St., near Leadenhali. 

Office, 9 W. Fayette St. BALTIMORE, MP. 

The Adams Express Company, 

2>To- 21 East Baltimore Street, 
Forwarders "by Passenger Trains of 

Money, Valuables, Baggage, Merchandise and Produce to all principal points in the United 

The facilities of the Adams Express Company are not equalled by any other Expreaa 
Company in the World. J ' 

Quick Time. Careful Handling Low Rates. 
Special Rates and care given to shipments of Country Produce 
No charge is made in Baltimore and other cities for collecting and delivering goods shipped 

E^pPFor particulars inquire of Agents. 

JOHN Q. A. HERRING, Manager. 



James Woodall. Charles A. Witler. 

Wm.E.Woodall&Co. 

MARINE 

FLOATING 

DRY DOCK. 



Ship Builders, Spar Makers, 

CAULKERS, &C. 



Construction of Composite Vessels a Specialty. 



Foot of Allen Street, 

LOCUST POINT, 

Baltimore, JMd. 



WITH DETACHABLE 

HAND ATTACHMENT. 




c. 



28 LIGHT STREET, 
BALTIMORE. 

Steam Heating, 

HOT WATER HEATING, 

BOILEBS, ENGINES, &o. 

DEALERS IN 

Wrought Iron Pipes for Steam, 

Water and Gas. Hose, Belting, 
Tools, Hangers, Shafting, ete. 



BEACHAM & BROTHER, 

Marine Railway and Ship Yard, 

Soixijlx S±d-e of Basra, 
BALTIMORE, MD. 



Vessels and Steamboats taken out of the "Water and Re- 
paired at the Shortest Notioe. 
JOHN C. FROEHLICH & C<X 

Machine and Boiler 'Works. Marine Railway- 
Point and Philpot Streets, East of Drawbridge. 

Tug Boat Work a Specialty. Builders of Stationary and Marine Engines and 

Boilers. Repairing- Promptly Attended to. Estimates for "Work 

Furnished at Shortest Notice. 

Triumph Automatic Cellar Drainer, Klsss2?f ^SSiSssu'S; 

Operated Automatically by Water Pressure. FRIEDEJfWALO BROS., Sole 
Manufacturers, 216 M. Holliday Street, Baltimore, Md. 

McSHANE BELL, FOUNDRY^ 

Manufacture the Finest Grade of 

Oliiraes, Peals and. Bells, 

Of Genuine Bell Metal {Copper and Tin), 

For Price and Large Illustrated Catalogue, address 

HENRY McSHANE Ss CO., Baltimore, Md. 




JOHN SOHERER & SON, 

"WHOLESALE AND RETAIL 

Frames, Brackets, Mouldings, Hand Rails, Mantels, Door Jambs, 
Wash Boards, Newels, Balusters, &c. 

808, 809 and 810 W. Baltimore St., near Fremont, BALTIMORE, MD. 



JOHN J. GREER & CO. 

Bar IrorL^ Derails and Steel, 

HORSE AND MULE SHOES, 
207 and 209 West Pratt Street, Baltimore. 

W. G. WETHERALL, Sk. W. G. WETHERALL, Jb. 

-W- m Or. "WETHEBALIj, 

1EOM M±Wm STESL, 

113 and 115 S. Calvert St., 112 and 114 Cheapside, 

BJULTIMOBB, 

Dealers in BAR IROX, HORSE SHOE 
IRON and HORSE SHOE XAIES. 



Charles Winternitz & Sons, 



Cast Tool, Spring, Tire, Machinery and Toe Steel, Anvils, Bellows, Blowers, 
Forges, Tire Benders, Drill Presses, Vises, Stocks and Dies, Mandrills, Hammers, 
Sledges, Piles, Rasps, Carriage and Tire Bolts, and all kinds of Smiths' Tools. 
Axles and Springs, Spokes, Hubs, Rims, Shafts, and all kinds of Wagon and 
Carriage Makers' Wood Material. Old Iron and Metals Bought for Cash or Taken 
in Trade. J*«-w Mos. 319 and 321 TV Pratt St., between Howard and Eutaw 
Streets. Old Number 279. BALTIMORE, MD. Telephone Call 645. 

A. WEBSTER SMITH, WM. D. JAMESON, HENRY B. KEYSER, 

Formerly of Formerly of Formerly with 

A. W. Smith & Co. Thompson, Ashbukjtee & Co. Thompson, Ashbtjknek & Co. 

SMITH, JAMES OX & KEYSEE, 

(Successor to Keyser Brothers & Co.) 

Nos. 600 and 602 E. Lombard St., N. E. Cor. Frederick, 

Iroaa. ^dlercliazits, BALTIMORE, MD. 

Telephone Call 714. 




Chesapeake Manufacturing Company, 

North and Pleasant Streets. 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

STEEL WIRE NAILS 

OF EVERY DESCRIPTION. 

UIDAM \A/!RJTrDII!T7 Wholesale Dealer in Wrought and Cast Scrap Iron 
n Ifl Am If III ! LI! ft I I / » nit Steel, Brass, (opper. Lead, Pewter, Zinc, 
llllinm IB lit s i.11111 IL, and Meta i s of Every Description. 

Nos. 221, 223, 225 and 227 S. Howard Street (Old Numbers 66, 68, 70 and 72), Baltimore, Md. 

Constantly on hand all kinds of Hardware, Harness, Second-Hand Smith's Working Iron, Car 
and Wagon S'pring Steel a Specialty. Horse Nails, New and Old Horse Shoes, New and Old 
Hammers, Sledges, Vises, Bellows, Stocks and Dies, Anvils, and all kinds of other Tools and 
other useful articles too numerous to mention 

I am also prepared to take in trade or for cash, "Wrought and Cast Scrap Iron, or any of the 
ahove mentioned articles, at the highest market price, except none. Telephone No. 479. 



Wm. H. Whiting, formerly with Jas. A. Whiting & Co. John H. Gokstjch. 

TIT™ TT TITlii+in/v (In GALTAMZED OOODS A SPECIALTY. 
Ifl/lT H lAI II Xl I M Hardware and Cutlery. Blacksmithing Done Promptly. 

if in. A. ?! iiiiiii^ a uu.g 1 ffi? re ^ ttstt ^ New ^ a6#MtprattBte ^ 



FLYNN & EMRICH, 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

j&eag Engiqeg, Boiled and MacMqefiJ, 

STEAM HEATENC APPARATUS. 

Dealers in "Wrought Iron Pipes, Valves, Cocks, Fitting's, &c. 

Office, Corner Holliday and Saratoga Streets, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 

J£. 1). Crook. E. F. Horner. G. A. Horner. 

CROOK, HORNER & CO. (Successors to John H. Williams & Co.) 

MANUFACTURERS AND DEALERS IN 

Plumbers, Machinists' and Mill Supplies, 

Sole Agents for Ericsson & Riders' Hot Air Engines, 
Corner Baltimore and Howard Sts. BALTIMORE, MD. 

Baltimore Mill Furnishing Works. 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

Mill Stones, Portable Mills, Pulleys, Shafting and Mill Gearing, 

Importers of Bo/ting Cloths, and Genera/ Mill Furnishers. 
B. F. STARK & CO. North and Centre Sts., Baltimore. 

pn Manufacturers of Hardware 

01 UUl 326 W. Pratt Street, Baltimore, Md. 



W. S. CAR 



Chas. A. Vaile. Maryland ©alv. Iron Cornice Works. Louis F. Young. 

Established 1863. 

WITHOUT PUTTY. 

Office and Factory, 309 and 311 North Street, Baltimore, Md. 
" JOHN G. HETZELL. & SON, 

ILvdletsillIc ZRooflug* stzid. SpovLting*. 

Roofs Painted, Manufacturers of Galvanized Iron Cornices, Lintels, &c. Also, 
Hayes' Patent V entilating Eire-Proof Skylights, and Dealers in Tin Plates, Zino 
and Galvanized Iron. 

No. 225 North Howard Street, Baltimore. 

P. Sanford Koss. J. B. Sanford. W. B. Brooks, Jr. 

ROSS & SANFORD (of Baltimore), 

Dock, Bridge and Rail Road Contractors, 

2rTo. 21 So-u-tih. <3-a,3r Street, 

DREDGING LUMBER. BALTIMORE, MD. 

■ O n II Dealer in Carriag:© and House Builders* Hard- 

in mnn I UnrrnTT ware. Paints, Oils. Glass, Putty, Varni»lies, 
JdllluU Ul Ddllull' Brashes » etc- etc., 89S WEST PKATT STI 



Baltimore, Md. 



Bernard Gilpin. Thomas P, Langdon. Henrt B. Gilpin, 

tutu, iMiiti 4 §§, 

(Successors to Canby. Gilpin & Co.) 

N. W- Cor. Light and Lombard Sts. 
NEW YORK OFFICE, - - Corner Cedar and Pearl Streets. 

Baltimore United Oil Company, 

Works— CANTON, MB. Office— 9 S. GAY ST. 

manufacturers' ok 

Refined 9 Lubricating Oils, 

Tin Can Oil and Stove Fluid, 



SOLE PROPRIETORS OF 



til cmMscKsn 01& c©. 

124 S. Calvert Street, near Pratt, Old No. 68, 
Telephone No. 184. BALTIMOIIIEL 

: w7c7EOB]c^ow : ^soiT ? 

217 SOUTH STREET, BALTIMORE, MD. 
BUSINESS ESTABLISHED, 1832. 

MANUFACTURERS AND DEALERS IN 

OILS of Every Kind,, for All Uses. 

DEALERS IN 

Hllti ill. Hill &.; mil I iiiiii Hitur iff nil 

No. 7 W. Pratt Street, near Charles, Baltimore, Md. 

TELEPHONE No, 5. 

ESTABLISHED 1845. TELEPHONE CALL 1S55. 

HIRSHBERG, HOLLANDER & CO. 

Nos. 106, 108 & 110 W, Pratt St, and N. W, Cor. Pratt & Hanover Sts. 



OTJTl POLICE. 

There is no class of men who suffer more bodily aches and pains from expo- 
sure than policemen do, and none who think more of Stonebraker's Liniment 
than they. 

Captain J. A. GRIMES, of Baltimore, says : 

STONEBRAKER'S LINIMENT 

Cured him of severe sprain, and after trying many preparations for Rheumatism, 
but without getting much relief, until he used Stonebraker's Liniment, which 
cured him promptly The Captain also states that a lady friend of his family 
was also completely cured of rheumatism by regular applications of 

STONEBEAKER'S XJIl^TI^d:EI^T l X , 

Then comes Captain CHARLES NICHOLSON, of 239 Mulberry Street, 
Baltimore : 

" Gentlemen — I have tried many advertised and other remedies for Rheuma- 
tism, but 

STONEBBAKEB'S LIIbTII^EIbTT 

Is the only thing I ever found that would do the curing part. I endorse it." 
MANUFACTURED ONLY BY THE 

ESTABLISHED 1849. BAUXTIhfiQSaE. "CT. S. A. 

SHSRP&DOHME, 

MAOTFACTXI KING ♦ GIEMISTS, 

301 to 307 W. Pratt St. and 200 to 206 S. Howard St. 
BALTIMORE, MD. 

ALONZO L. THOMSEN, 

MANUFACTURING CHEMIST, 

Works, Leadenhall and Winder Sts., Baltimore, Md. 

Manufacturer of the Celebrated 

^^k.ZRTS'Xj^ICsnD S-A-Ii SODA, 

— ALSO — 

EPSOMSALT, 
/ODIDE POTASSIUM, IODIDE RESUBL., SULPHATE ZINC, CHEM. PURE ACIDS, 

And a Full Line of Other Chemicals. 



J. T. Dowell. Wm. p. Thomson. 

COMMISSION MERCHANTS for the Sale of 

TOBACCO AND GRAIN. 
New No. 220 South Charles Street, Baltimore, Md. 
,With an experience of Fifteen Years in the Business, we guar- 
antee satisfaction. 



JlDoii&Co, 



NORTH HOWARD STREET. 



The ■ Lapge^fe • and • jJandgomegfe ■ Tgeatue • in ■ i^merica, 

And the most popular Theatre in the city, playing only first-class 

Standard Attractions 



Prices at Nighi,15, 25 & 50 Cts. Matinee Prices, 15 & 25 Cts. 

All Young Folks under Seventeen Tears Fifteen Cents to all parts of 
the House. 

Seats on sale at the Box Office daily from 9 A. M. until 11 P. M., and at 
McCaffrey's during the day. 

PERFECTION STEAM FLOUR PASTE. 

Warranted Not to Sour. 

BIPE <5c HOTJCK, 3iwiEei3a.-CLfsuctu.rers. 
Factory, 6, 8, 10 and 12 North St. Office, 20 North St. 

There is no Paste used for practical purposes to equal it. 

KERNAN'S MONUMENTAL THEATRE. 

James L. Kern an, Proprietor and Manages. 

(Also Kernan's "Washington Theatre, "Washington, D. C.) 

THE FINEST NOVELTY THEATRE IN AMERICA. 
OPEN EVERY NIGHT and MATINEES TUESDAY, THURSDAY and SATURDAY. 



Greatest and Most Perfect Performances extant. A Complete Change of Faces 

every week. Prominent Artists selected "with care and regardless of 

expense from the Principal Emporiums of Amusement. 

Popular Prioes— lO, 25, 50, 75 Cents and $1.00. Matinee 
Prices— 10, 15, 25 and 50 Cents. 

Sell j*u Front Street ^toeatre 

Dan. A. Kelly, Manager. 

Kobt. £. Davey, - Business Manager. 

STRICTLY A FAMILY THEATRE, 
Playing only First-Class Productions at Prices within the Reach of all. 

New, Grand and Magnificent Scenery Expressly for Each Play. 
THE GREATEST STAGE IN AMERICA. 

ENTIRE CHANGE OF BILL EVERY WEEK. 

Special Attention Paid to the Comfort of Ladies and Children. 



KNABIb 

Grand, Square and Upright 

PIAHFO-FOBTS8. 

These Instruments have been before the public for nearly fifty years, and 
upon their excellence alone have attained an 

UNPURCHASED PRE-EMINENCE, 

Which establishes them as un equaled in 

Tone, To-ulcIi, 

"^7"or3s:zrisuzisliIp smcl 

ZDvLraToilit3T, 

Every Piano Fully Warranted for Five Years. 

iiiiii^M^ii Myitis 

A large stock at all prices, constantly on hand, comprising some of our 
own make, but slightly used. 

Sole Agents for the celebrated SMITH AMERICAN ORGANS. 

WE ENABE & CO. 

New Nos. 22 and 24 E, Baltimore Street, Baltimore. 
No. 112 5th Avenue, New York. No. 817 Market Space, Washington. 

:E3, TXT, Gh^X^E^ 

C. C. DeZOUCHE, ) Manaffers ^h*' 

W. H. MITCHELL, \ Mana S ers - 




ft^^ 



T 3ST- OZb-aorles Stix-eeij, 
BJLLTIHOBE, MB. 



The SOHMES, the EEHB. 

And other Pianos 



The TABER, the STERLING, 

And other Organs 
To Rent, or on Instalments, Catalogues on Application. 




Grand, Square & Upright 

UNSURPASSED IN 

TONE and DURABILITY. 

1885— New Orleans Exposition — 
Two Gold Medals for Upright and 
Square. 
1881— Boston (Mass.) Exposition — 

First Prize for Square Grand. 
1878 — Paris Exposition— For Square 

and Upright Pianos. 
1876— Philadelphia Centennial — 
For Square, Upright and Grand. 
Have the endorsement of over 100 different Colleges and Schools as to their durability. 
A large Assorment of Second-hand Pianos always on hand. General Wholesale 
Agents for Palace Organs. Pianos and Organs sold on easy monthly instalments. 

Pianos taken in exchange, also thoroughly repaired. Send for Illustrated Piano or Organ. 
Catalogue. 

OHAS. K STIEFF, 9 W. Liberty Street, Baltimore, Md. 
JP^^-IsTK: ROOSEVELT, 

Successor to Hilborne S. Roosevelt, 

CHUHCH 01@A1 

No. 668 German Street, 



NEW YORK FACTORY; 

145, 147 & 149 W. 18th Street 



PHILADELPHIA FACTORY; 

315, 317 & 319 S. 22d Street. 



We solicit at any of our factories the correspondence of those desirous of 
securing an organ of the highest grade of quality, and will gladly aid in such 
inspection as will assist in arriving at a correct decision. 




No. 9 North Charles Street. Music, Pianos, Organs, 

Any Music, wherever heard or published, can be had at this Establishment. 



Ill I | OP Manufacturers of Grand, Square & Upright 

Willi Heinekamp & m.&t&w®*&®nvm® 9 

■ I iim iiumiiviiuiii|j «. wuii) AND DEALER s in ORGANS. 

Office and Warerooms — 6 East Baltimore Street (2 doors East of Charles.) 
Factory — Corner St. Peter and Sterrett Streets, Baltimore, Md. 

Organs and Second Hand Pianos of differ- 



Every Instrument fully Warranted for Five Years, 
ent makes, at all Prices. 



ST 



SPSS. \ O IS Or .A. ZfcT S 



The New « PHILHARMOXIC " is a Revelation and a Revolution. 
Weber, Decker Bros., Estey, Fischer, PIANO FORTES. 

Instruments Sold on Instalments. Tuninsr and Repairing Done in the City or Country. Pianos 

and Organs for Rent. 

SANDERS & STAYMAN, - - 13 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, Ma. 

934 F Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. 1217 Main Street, Richmond, Va. 



CUSHINGS & BAILEY, 

%nm f gpgflicaX, Classical uu& ^cfe00l H00&S, 

FOREIGN AND AMERICAN STATIONERY, 

No. 34 WEST BALTIMORE STREET, 

Opposite Hanover Street, BALTIMORE. 

GUGGENHEIMER, WEIL. & CO. 

itlHiUlis tMlf 1H ? ill ttSiE4^111i 5 

Bla-ziik: Book 2v£a,:ia.-u.fa,ct-u.rers, 
Manufacturing Department, Stationery Department, 

Liberty and Lombard Sts. 109 E. Baltimore St. 

BA^I/TIMORE}, 1VT.D. Under Carrollton Hotel 

J. H. MEDAIRY GEO K. MEDAIRY 

J. H. MEDAIRY & CO. 

|i)00^elle^ Stationed, Mhogfapliei^ and Jf rinfeg, 

InTo. © 3>T- Howard Street, 
Blank Books Made to Order in any Style. BALTIMORE, MD. 

J. CHRIS C JUSTIS JAS. R. ARMIGEU. 

J.USTIS & ARMIGER, 

No 195 W. BALTIMORE STREET, 

BALTIMORE, M P. 

HENHEGEN, BATES & CO. 

Jinrai ||§ietpt$, |ew step, tyatdi jjiatarf 8 It. 

Oorrier Baltimore and Ovaries Streets. 
l^cJDO-W^JLiXj <3c CO. 

CAlFlf Wiillilll, 

No. 3(5 W. BALTIMORE STREET, 

Opposite Hanover Street, IB JLLlTOSOffiUIL 

G S GRIFFITH, G. S. GRIFFITH. Jr. 

q. s. 6umn & e©« 

Importers and Dealers in 

Upholstery Goods, Carpetings, Oil Cloths, Mattings, &c. 

AND GENERAL HOUSEHOLD OUTFITTERS. 

403 an d 405 E. BALTIMORE STREET, BALTIMORE, MB. 

JAMEY & CONG-DON, SAMUEL N CONGDON. 

successors TO GOODYEAR RUBBER COMPANY, 
Manufacturers' Agents, and Dealers in every Description of Goodyear's 

INDIA EU1BE1 GODDS 9 

No. 8 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, Md. 



IMPOETEKS OF 



Notions, Musical Instruments and Druggists' Sundries, 
No. 322 W. Baltimore Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

Edwaed A. Peioe, Chas. Hilgenberg, 

Of the late Urm Alberti, Prior & Co. Late of Chas. Hilgenberg & Co. 



PRIOR & HILGENBERG, 

IMPOETEKS OF 

lEPam-csr G-oods and To^s, 

215 W. Baltimore and 200, 202, 204 and 206 German Sts. F Baltimore. 



GAS HEATING AND GAS COOKING STOVES 

FETIEIR IKIIRIES Sz CO. 
No. 306 West Fayette Street, 

(Near Ford's Opera House,) Telephone Call 475-5. BALTIMORE, MD. 

0. Y. DAVIDSON & GO. 

Gas Fisz-fares, Bronzes, Clocks, <5sc 

PLUMBING AND GAS FITTING, 
No. 5 Nortli Liberty Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

EMMART & QUARTLEY, 
and Fresco decorators, 

Rooms and Studio: 206 Park Avenue, BALTIMOBE, MD. 

N. W. Corner Charles and Lexington Streets, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 

nTJO-ia: sissoit <2a soilts, 

Importers, Dealers and Manufacturers of 

Mar"ble a,m-cL Stat-aary, 

MONUMENTS, TOMBS, CEMETERY CURBING, MANTELS, TILE, 
FURNITURE SLABS AND COUNTERS. 

Salesroom, 210 E. Baltimore Street, between Calvert and North Streets. 

Steam Maeble "Works and Yard, Cornee Noeth and Monument Sts. 

COMMISSION & WHOLESALE STATIONERS, 
Iron Front Warehouse, 13 Hopkins Place. 



Marcus L Wolf & Co, 



N, H, HUSEY 



I 



STUDIO, 112 N. CHARLES STREET. 



ALL KINDS DFFINE PHDTD&RAPHY 
If; 0pfr€cifs • IT) ■ fern, • If; etsiel • (ztrjd • fe^izry©!). 



0/a? Pictures Copied a7id Enlarged to any size. Nothing but 
Jirst-cla^s work allowed to leave the establishment. 

PRICKS VERY MODERATE. 

The productions of this Studio are not excelled in this country 
or in Europe. 

JOHN T. GRAHAM, 

REAL ESTATE, COLLECTION HID INVESTMENT, 

Offices, 116 and 118 St. Paul Street, 

Between Fayette and Lexington Streets, BALTIMORE. 



Houses, Farms, Ground Rents and Mortgages Bought and SoTd. Houses 
and Farms Rented. Particular Attention given to the Collection of Claims, 
Rents, &c, and the Settlement of Trust Estates. 

Money Invested, FREE OF CHARGE, in Mortgages, Ground Rents, <&c. 
Loans Negotiated on Mortgages and other Securities. 

B. F. Gambrill, Prest. W. B. Gambrill, Vice-Prcst. C. K. Oliver, Secy, and Treas. 

Drraid ZEPellj Cotti ,pany 3 

(Incorporated.) 

MANUFACTURERS AND DEALERS IN 

Roofing: and Sheathing:, and Mqnid Covering's for Wood, Iron, 
Tin Felt, «fcc. 

Weather Proof, Water Proof, Acid Proof, Fire Proof. 
No. 7 South Cay Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

B. F. Gambrill, Prest. John "W. Brown, Vice-Prest. C. K. Oliver, Secy, and Treas. 

Druid Mills manufacturing Co. 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

HDIEe-UrilD ^CIXjXjS E2STXi.A. 

Cotton Duck, Sail Twine, Yarns, &c. 

No. 7 South. Gray Street, Baltimore, Md. 



MLFRED J. CHRR, 



aTOKBSIB'a HSl &OH, 



3DB East Lexington Strestj 



No. 4 Hoen Building, 



BALTIMORE, MD. 



T. KELL BRADFORD, 

Ml©miy al Hani | Stolaxsr iP»Mte 9 

N. W. Cor. Lexington and Oourtland Streets, 
BALTIMORE. 

LENNOX BlBCKHKAD. FEIDGK M.T7BDOOH. 

BIRCKHEAD & MURDOCH, 

USE-^Xj IE ST .A. TIE bbokebs, 

Guest Building, New No. 232 St, Paul Street, Corner Saratoga, 

Buy, Sell and Lease Real Estate on Commission. Loans -_-_, » T ,_._.. /r _ VT _^- r _ v 

Negotiated, Collections Tromptly Made and Estates Care- JBA Iv I I IVLOlx.hL'. 

fully Attended to. 

HENRY C. LOGEMAN, 
IREAL ESTATE BEOKEE 

206 St. Paul St., 4th door N. of Lexington, Baltimore. 

Houses, Ground Rents, Farms, Country Seats, &c, Bought and Sold. Money Loaned ©n City 
and Country Property in Sums to Suit. Rents Collected. Estates Managed. &c. 

GEO. IS/ECK. TEAL, 

REAL ESTATE BEOKEE 

No. 2 1 Saratoga Street, near St. Paul, Baltimore. 

Negotiates Losns on Mortgage?, Pollecta Ground Rents. House Rents. Bnvs aid Sells Mort- 
gages. Housed, Farms anil Country Seats for Sale and Exchange. Lots for Sale and Lease. 



SCHNEIDER & FUCHS, 



MANUFACTURERS OF 



Dicta Frame?, Hum? and Gonpceg. 

IMPORTERS AND WHOLESALE DEALERS IN 

Stee/ Engravings, Artotypes, Oleographs and Paintings, 

413 BAST BALTIMORE STREET, 

Factory-311 St. Paul Street. BALTIMORE, MD. 

T~ m F_ BOHLEDEB, 

jpiiiraitw©, Oaspefa, @l@®Mm % Wlaitw Madea, 

PICTURE FRAMES, &c. 
No. 1034 Light Street, near Cross-street Market, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 

John Tuenbull, Jr. W. C. Ttjrnbull. J. T. Uthman. C. H. Iuenbtjll. 

JOHN TURNBULL, JR. & CO. 

importers and retailers of 



No. 20 West Baltimore Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

DEALER IN 

ir-u.xn.It'ULxe arid. Caipets, 

377 and 379 "W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Md. 

"Visit FRANK J. MURPHY'S RELIABLE CREDIT HOUSES, 415 and 417 W. Balti- 
more Street, for Furniture, Carpets, Stoves, &c. CASH or CREDIT. 

" S. HECHT, Jr. & SONS, 

IMPORTERS AND JOBBERS OF 

Carpets, Oil Cloths, Mattings, &c. 

310 LEXINGTON STREET, between Howard and Eutaw, 
BALTIMORE , MD. 

:r,. ^Ensr-v^-iaiK: <3c soisrs, 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

ZEPxniLe OaTb±:cLe1j IH 1 -Lxx'xi.±i3Txn?e 

AND INTERIOR. DECORATIONS, 
AND IMPORTERS OF UPHOLSTERY GOODS, CURTAINS, &C. 

311 North Howard Street, Baltimore, Md. 
GEORGE CHIPMAN & SOX, 

Manufacturers for the Trade of 

~S*7"aJ.:rru.t Sz IMIstple Cane Seat Olxstirs, 

OAK BENT & WOOD SEAT CHAIRS, SETTEES AND RATTAN CHAIRS, 

Office and Warerooms, 109 E. German St. 

Second door above Calvert, BALTIMORE, MD. 



Otto Dukkr. Herman H. Dukee. 

©*TTO Hill & ©@, 

LumI)Bi l DBaIe^,piaiiinj|FIooi 1 ingW[iIIg 

RE-SAWING TO ORDER. 

Frames, Sash, Doors, Blinds and Mouldings, 



AND 



INTERIOR FINISH OF HARDWOOD A SPECIALTY, 

President St., Canton Ave. and Albemarle St. 

P.O. Box 476. IMBmft 

J. L. GILBERT. A. F. GILBERT. 

J. L. GILBERT & BRO. 

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL LUMBER, 

EAST FALLS AND CANTON AVENUES, 
Telephone 1426. BALTIMORE, MB. 

PRICE, WELCH & CO. 

Wmv€kw/@@€w amdi Hiitgai y, 

Office and Yard, Canton Ave. and President Street, 



Telephone 975-2. Established 1856.. 

"V^^E. S. CROSS, 

(Successor to Wm. H. Cross & Bro.) 

East Fails Avenue, Baltimore, Md, 

b. L- rrxr^Tis 6z CO, 

KILN DRIED 

BreaseM Yellow Pim@ E^mmber 

BALTIMORE, NID. 



HOWARD SWAIN. WM. E. BANKS. 

Corner President and Alice Anna Sts. and East Falls Avenue. 
BALTIMORE, MD. 

GEO. F. SLOAN & BRO. ~ 
X^TTXXJJDXJ^TO- LT71£BBIS 

Sash, Doors, Blinds, &c. 
132 Light-Street Wharf. BALTIMORE, MD. 

BtiiMiiig ®mM> @ilkmw Lumber^ 

EASTERN AVENUE AND UNION DOCK, 

BALTIMORE, MP. 

if 1 . ^7sr. ti^ii^exj^: <sc ibeo. 

MAXUFaCTURERS OF 

Sasb., IDoors, 3Blln.cLs„ cScc. 

Nos. 78 and 80 W. PRATT STREET, 
Factory, Cor. Bond and Hampstead Streets. BALTIMORE, MD. 
P. O. BOX 243. TELEPHONE CONNECTIONS. 

TIIOS. P. STRAN, Jr. CHARLES T. STRAN. 

STRAN BROTHERS, 

(SUCCESSORS OF R. K. HAWLEY <fe CO.) 

"W"liolesale Dealers in Liimber, 

740 EASTERN AVENUE (Old No. 16), 

Cleveland Saw Mill and Lumber Co., Cleveland, Ohio. BALTIMORE, MD. 

W. O. McGOVMX. Tklephonk 679 2. HENRY R. CADI". 

l^laOrO^TT-X^T <2x CAJD"2T, 

WHOLESALE DEALERS 

Lumber and Mill "Work:, 

No. 21 POST OFFICE AVE., BALTIMORE, MD. 

JACOB B. THOMAS. JNO. L. LAWTON. JOS. T. LAWTON. 

JOSEPH THOMAS & SON, 

Manufacturers of Builders 9 Material, 

Wood Mantels. 

Office, Bank and Church Furniture. Hardwood Lumber Dealers. 
Office and Factory, Leadenhall Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

"W. EC. DSZIIfcTa- <2a CO- 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

ZB-ULlld-ingr and. Cabinet Materials, 

AND DEALERS IN LUMBER, 
Office and Factory, Cathedra/ and Preston Sts. DAI TIMODl" M n 
Office and Yard, Cathedra/ and Biddle Sts. D A L I I IVI U n L, IVI V . 



EmmJkw & m 

PACKERS OP THE 



HORSE SHOE BRRND" 




ilili ^M il^Ki 

BOSTON STREET, 

]: w: 1™*' \ Late with D - D - MaIlor y & Co - liWlUM, Ml* 
H. J. McGRATH & CO. 

©3rstez an.d- ^ruiit ^a,c3s:ers, 

ATLANTIC WHARF, 

Champion Brand Raw Oysters. BAILTIMQBB, MB, 

smith: 6a "^7-ics:s, 

PACKERS OF 

©jsteiB, FEtd't»tT l egetablM| 

Manufacturers of Every Description of Oyster and Fruit Cans, 
Foot of Mill Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

JOHN G. KKAFT. P. FORNEY WINEBKENNER. 

KRAFT & WINEBRENNER 

Successors to J. G. Keaft & Co. 

HERMETICALLY SEALED 

Oysters, Fruits, Vegetables, &c. 

Foot of Cross St., Baltimore, IVEd. 



NOTICE— All Sales by AGENTS or BROKERS to be confirmed by us. 

J. M. Somees. Established 1861. H. M. Somees. 

WM. L. ELLIS & CO. 

Ouster &c ZFxnxxl} Packers, 

FRESH OYSTERS A SPECIALTY, 
2327 to 2333 Boston Street, Baltimore, Md. 

William Fait. H. C. Winebbennee. 

FAIT <2z, T^TXaTEB^EDfcTiTIEE?,, 
Packers of Hermetically Sealed 



>• s? s& m# si si t& * v sm mm sl eswfSsMs & • 
Boston and Patuxent Streets, Baltimore, Md. 



T- -A». SOUTHEKLilND Sz CO. 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

PLAIN AND FANCY 

DSTo. 37 Scu-tli Liberty Street, 

14M lMffill 5 Ml* 



Plain and Fancy Paper Boxes. Store Boxes Repaired. Country Orders 
Promptly Executed. 

ESTABLISHED 1872. TELEPHONE CALL 1394-2. 

C. A. EULER & SON, 

MANUFACTURERS OF 



No, 99 Conway Street, Baltimore, Md. 

B. -^- JOZbTIES Sz, CO. 

MANUFACTURERS OF 
1 



3 

Old No. 13 Oamden Street, New No. 6, 
C. T. TOTJSE cSc CO. 

MANUFACTURERS OP 

gamier gose*, tiltormttapisis, gsqreg %nnUvus r 

Cla.rLstaaQ.a,s Tree Oxnaraeats, etc. 

Nos. 107, 109 and 111 North Eutaw Street, 

Third Door N. of Fayette Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

JOHN M. HARTEL, 

Paper Box 3^dIsuri."u.factor3r, 

No. 135 West Pratt Street, 

S.E. Corner Sharp S treet, BAJLTIifl©»B, MB. 

CHARIvES EULER, 
Manufacturer of Plain and Fancy 

PAPBR Bill! 

No. 49 Hanover Street , Balt imore. 

LEVI "Vs7-E^^T7^E1I^, 

Paper Box: ZMZaan/ixf acrtna-itreii? 

No. 22 SOUTH CALVERT STREET, 

OVER E. LARRABEE'S DRUG STORE. 
Constantly on hand and makes to order all kinds of Paper Boxes, Round, Square, Jewelers 
and Druggists" iioxes. Country .Merchants and the Trade in general would do well to give me a 
call before purchasing elsewhere. 




PASSAR D'S C ASSARTS 

vn isms* * M)LD CURED HAMS 

BRAND -AND- 

BREAKFAST BACON. 

Are growing in favor every day. They are 
cured with special care, and for delicacy of 
flavor are unsurpassed. 
For sale by Grocers generally. 
Wholesale by 
Takes the place of Butter in the kitchen. C. CASSARD & SONS, 

Try it and be convinced. 517 to 525 W. Baltimore Street. 

J. HENRY SNYDER & SONS," 

Main Stall— No. 10 Richmond Market. Also, 35 Lexington, 

69 Centre and 208 Belair Markets. 
Residence, [New No.] 1605 Pennsylvania Ave. 
Telephone Call 1295. BALTIMORE, MD. 

KIENZLE & HOHMAN, 

PORK BOTOKBRS* 

And Dealers in all kinds of Sausage, Bologna, Lard and Bacon. 

Stalls, 80, 82, 84 and 86 Belair Market, 

Residence, N. S. Cor. Monument and Castle Sts. BALTIMORE, MD. 

South Baltimore Packing Company. 

LOUIS KRAUS, Manager. 

Steam Sausage Manufacturers, Pork and Beef Packers, 
Nos. 14 and 16 WEST BARRE STREET, 

Between Charles and Hanover, BALTIMORE, MD. 

3?5.aa.e S-a.g-str-C-u.red. 2v£ea,ts. Pure XjscrcL. 

JACOB C. SHAFER & CO. 

Pork Packers and Ctorers of Fine Hams, Shoulders and Breasts, 

Baltimore Cut and Cured Meat exclusively. 

Also Manufacturers of PURE LARD FOR FAMILY USE. 

Kos. 516, 518 and 520 Lexington Street, Baltimore, Md. 

TELEPHONE No 949, 

CHARLES ROHE, 

DEALER IN AND SLAUGHTERER OF 

Office and Salesrooms, 30 N. Paca Street, Baltimore, Md, 

Slaughter Houses and Salesrooms, Corner Calverton Road and Franklin Street. 

LEOPOLD PFEFFERKORN, 

JOBBER AND DEALER IN 

Fresli Smoked and Sa#ltedL 2s/£ea,ts, 

No. 51 North Paca Street, 

Between Lexington and Saratoga Sts. BALTIMORE, MD. 

Telephone Connection 96G. 



IB- T- BABBITT'S 




SOAP POWDER S and PURE POTASH, 

THE LEADING, STAPLE AND STANDARD 



FOR PURITY AND QUALITY. 

BE WISE! USE THE BEST! IT PAYS! 



'CHAS. WEBB. 



THOS. ARMSTRONG. 



JAS. ARMSTRONG & CO. 

Manufacturers of 

Office, No. 115 Concord Street, Baltimore, Md. 



1ST. BE. r-AJII^B-^.I^-IS <3c CO- 

Lard mm — 



PURE FAMILY and FLOATING SOAPS, 

303 EXCHANGE PLACE, BALTIMORE. 
ESTABLISHED 1850. 



CHEIS. LIPP'S 



FACTORY : 

CHLYERTON ROUD MD ROLLINS ST, 



FOR SALE BY ALL GROCERS. 



W. H. TUTTLE & CO. 

affi&t&mi &®bwt<$*® <$£ St®&m ft®®.® Paste* 

It is not a patent article, but the pure old time Flour Paste. Price from $1.50 

to $3.50 per Barrel. 

304 and 30® King Street, near Howard, Baltimore, Md. 

Telephone Call 1082. 

Manufacturer of all kinds of FRANKFORT AND VIENNA SAUSAGES, 

Residence, Wilkens Street. Stalls in Lexington, Hanover and 
Centre Markets, Baltimore, Md. 

Ham Sausage, Hogshead Cheese, &c. Fresh Daily. Families supplied with Stuffed Pigshead 

and all the Delicacies in the line of Pork Butchery. Balls, Weddings, Parties, &c., 

punctually served to order. 



TOSEi=ia: b. cook:, 



No. 707 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Md. 



TELPHONE 1027. 



Coaches for all purposes. 



9 



IMZ. JL.. DAIGER, 

Office and Residenoe, 229 S. Broad-way, Baltimore. 
JOHN A. DAIGEB, Practical Embalmer. 

Undertaker, Furnisher of Funerals, Ice Caskets, Robes 

730 Pennsylvania Ave., bet. Biddle and George Sts., Baltimore, Md. 



DENNY & MITCHELL. 



Offices : 

Oat and 
Mi Ayes. 

1201 f . 
Fayette St. 

208 S. 




Leading Undertakers and Livery Men. 
HENRY W. MEARS, 

FUNERAL DIRECTOR, 

No. 413 East Fayette Street, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 
C. H. BLIZZARD & CO. 

Wmmmmk MMftftMtft ami llDtiaItiai©iPSL 

1139 Pennsylvania Ave., Cor. of Dolphin Street, 

Telephone Call 1455-6. BALTIMORE, MD., 



(Successor to Jacob Weaver,) 

Undertakers Funeral Director, 

ALSO EMBALMING, 

738 !£T. E-o.ta-<*7- Street, xiear Ifcv£a,cLis©n. Are. 

All Orders Promptly Attended to Day or Night. 

TELEPHONE 682-5. 

•^TJ^E- S. FIEV^\ 

Funerals Served at Shortest Notice. 
S". E. Corner Broadway and Mullikin Street. 

Telephone 1258-3. BALTIMORE, MP. 

~ ROBERT KINNIER, 

Horses, Buggies and Omnibuses For Hire. Coaches at all hours for Shopping, 
Visiting and Weddings. Funerals Served. 

Telephone 1258-3. 314 N. Broadway, Baltimore, Md. 



C. Calvert Hoffmann 



PLOBIST, 
Madison Ave. Extended, Baltimore. 

Bouquets, Funeral Flowers served at the 
Snortest Notice. 



Franklin Davis. Edw. H. Bissell. 

FRANKLIN DAVIS & CO. 

Wholesale and Retail. A large and complete stock of Fruit and Ornamental Trees, 
Plants, Vines, Shrubs, etc. Office, N. E. Cor. Baltimore and Paca Sts. 

Over 400 Acres under Cultivation. Special Attention given to Retail Orders, and 
satisfaction guaranteed. Telephone Connection with Nursery. 

ASENDORF & DREYER, 



Cor, "^7"est Falls Ave. aaa.dL HioixiloarcL St- 
BALTIMORE, MD. 



Manufacturers of Packing 1 Boxes, 

Corner Central Avenue and Aliceanna Street, 
BALTIMORE, MD. 

b«. f\ ft Geo. Siemers. Chas. Forthnbaugh. 

\ipmpro Y. n s€« mMwm&&GwimMmB % 
I UIGINGIO VSL UUlf 418,420 & 422 W.Pratt St., Baltimore. 



S. M. HAMILTON & CO. 

WHOLESALE MERCHANTS, 

Coal, Iron, Fire Brick, Cement. 

CORRESPONDENCE SOLICITED. 



Head Office, 8 S. Gf-et;y- S"t. 

BALTIMORE, N1D. 



Telephone 466. Cable Address, 

P. O. Box 847. "Hamilton." 



Manufacturers of and Dealers in 

zers, Seeds, Implemenl 
205 and 207 Paca Street, Baltimore. 



nNttlth lirilPr Al I fl Fertil i zers > Seeds, Implements, &c. 



RUSSELL, GIESE & CO. 

306, 308, 310, 312 and 314 Spear's Wharf, 

Importers and Dealers in 

Portland I Rosendale Cements, 

Calcined flagto, piagtoeflg' jlaii<, ^c. 
DEALERS in grass seeds. 



Weaver k Harman, 3 ! 



Brick Manufacturers. Orders left at Office. New 
523 Columbia Ave., near Paca St., or Yard. Wash- 
lgton Road, adjoining Gwinn's Falls, East Side, will 
promptly attended to. Constantly on hand, all 
grades of Bricks at Lowest Market Prices. Telephone 1538-2. 

Brick and Terra Cotta Manufacturers. Special- 
Fine Dust Pressed, Sand and Fancy 



Young 0. Wilson & Son, f 



Moulded Pressed Brick. Office, No. 
. Paca Street, Baltimore, Md. 
Yards, Washington Road. Telephone No. 1035-2. 



Geo. W. Robinson. Jos. J. Robinson. 

(Established in 1828.) Manufacturers 



bl Ml flOD llSOn Gl u(]I Brick. Yards, Monument Street. Prin. 

I III IIUUIIIUUII VJL UUIIJ C ip a i Office: No. 221 E.Fayette St. (Morse 
Building, near North St., Baltimore. Keep on hand a large Assortment of Building Brick. 

Established 1818 
Manufacturers of Plain and Ornamental 
Brick. Also, Terra Cotta for Ornamenting 
Fronts. 
Office— No. 30 Columbia Street, Baltimore, Md. 



Burns, Russell k Co., 



ESTABLISHED IN 1830. 



F. W. FELGNER & SON", 

Tobacco Works, 

208 AND 210 
S. CHARLES STREET, 

BALTIMORE. 

Sole Proprietors of F. H. Bischoff 
German Smoking Tobacco. 




Geo. E. Waggner & UZ 



Packers of SEED EEAF, and Importers of 

SUMATRA and HAVANA 

TOBACCOS, 

East Lombard Street, Baltimore. 



Charles Becker. } Importers of Havana, Sumatra, and 
Louis Becker. \ Packers of Seed [Leaf Tobacco, 

417 East Lombard Street, Baltimore, Md. 
Warehouse, 1103 to 1109 N. Washington Street. 

MUTH BROTHERS &, CO. 

IMPORTERS OF 

®rag% CliesEfcicala, Wymm % ^e e 

DRUGGISTS' FSNCY GOODS AND SPECIALTIES, 

15 E. FAYETTE STREET, 

NearCharles, B&&E MMMEB, Ml, 

^ MUDGE, SMITH & CO. 



206 Spear's Wharf, 



BALTIMORE. 



WagnerJverson&Rountree 



"\^7*lxolessile O-rccers, 
. 119 Commerce St {Old No. 15,) 

Telephone 1064. BALTIMORE. 



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H. F. HEMINGWAY & CO. 

Oyster and Fruit ?Bz\iBxs.Fonig^dDo^HGFruii9 9 

Orleans Street, near Patterson Park Avenue, Baltimore, Md. 

Packing Houses— Baltimore, Md. ; Norfolk, Va.; Fair Haven, Conn.; Clyde, Wayne Co., N. Y. 
Branches— 377 and 379 Broad wav, Albany, JST. Y. ; 28 and 29 E. Kailroad Street, Syracuse, IS. Y. ; 
248 Washington Street, New York City, 



LKATZUO, 



Oyster and Kru.it Packers, 
No. 607 Luzerne Street, 

BALTIMORE, WLT>. 



Packers of the Celebrated 

l! ! BALTIMORE, MD. 



PI ATT ft CD-' 



3 . ERANKLIN BIX. JDTX <S* "WILKI1TS, 

willarp c. wilkins. Importers and Dealers in 

J. WOOLFORD HERRING. v 

Q 3ED. Lombard Street, Baltimore. 

DEALER IN 

Fresh Cows and Stock in General, 

Frederick Road, near the City Limits (First Toll G-ate). 
CHARLES M. COLEMAN'S 

Wilson-Street Livery and Hiring Stables, 

511, 513, 515, 517 and 519 Wilson Street, 

Telephone No. 884. BALTIHOEE. 

Driving and Saddle Horses, Carriages. Coaches. Surrey 5 ;, Top Buggies, Daytons, Phae- 
tons, &c. Coaches promptly furnished for Shopping, Weddings and Funerals. 

IE. O. HILL7 

— AND — 

practical Well Digging pergonallij Attended to. 

Office, N. W. Corner of Lexington and Calvert Streets, 

IN BASEMENT. 

Residenoe, New No. 923 S. Charles Street, 

The Improved Odorless Excavating Apparatus. 

All Sinks, Cess-Pools, Wells, Cellars, &c, emptied during the day or iiio-lit, 
without offense or danger of explosion, by 

HENRY MERLE, 407 W. Pratt St., bet. Penn & Fremont, Baltimore, Md. 

Orders respectfully solicited by mail or personal application, and will 
meet with prompt attention on Reasonable Terms. 



The Hannis Distilling Company 

DISTILLERS OF 

Mt. Vernon and Hannisville 



Made from Best Rye Grain, Rye Malt and Medicinal Waters. 

OFFICES: 
PHILADELPHIA— 218 S. Front Street I BALTIMORE— 415 E. Lombard Street. 
NEW YORK— 50 Beaver Street 1 MARTINSBURG, W. VA 

-ras "woiesxiID's o-zse-^.i' to^tici 

Pronounced by all to be tbe most efficient, most pleasant and purest Tonic ever placed before 
the public for the cure of Malaria, Dyspepsia, Indigestion, Weakness, Loss of Appetite. Diar- 
rhoea, Nervousness, Sick Stomach, Cholera Morbus, Cholera, Colic. Cramps, Nausea, Bilious- 
ness, General Debility, Asthma, Fever and Ague and Kidney Troubles. 

This Great Tonic is endorsed and prescribed by over one hundred of the most prominent 
Physicians of Maryland, Pennsylvania and District of Columbia, and has been used and is 
recommended by a large number of the most distinguished and well-known citizens of this 
and other countries. For sale by all Druggists, Grocers, and Dealers generally. 25 cents 
and $1.00 per bottle. THE Dr. PETZOLD'S BITTEES CO., Proprietors, BALTIMORE, MD. 

Tlie TTlzzian CroldLs"boro"Uig\fcL Co, 

DISTILLERS AND IMPORTERS, 

No. 41 S. GAY STREET, BALTIMORE. 

Sole Proprietors of the Celebrated ATLAS, WILSON and ALLSTON CLUB BYE WHISEIES. 
INCORPORATORS— A. J. TJlman. President; Chas. Goldsborough, Vice-President ; James A. 

Haynes, W. H. Haynes: J. A. Ulman, Treasurer; C. Jennings, Secretary; Jos. T. Manning,. 

General Manager • Otto H Droege, Assistant Manager. 

JOHN P. SHRINER, Agent, 
325 TV. Baltimore Street, 3 doors East of Eutaw, 

MANUFACTURER OF 

fine Single and Double CoVer, Wagon, Bbggv and Colipe flames llidine Saddle? 

TRUNKS, TRAVELING BAGS, Ac. 

^•telephone 632 

JOHN F. HUNTER, [Formerly Mullmyer & Hunter], 

MANUFACTURER OF 

No. 507 Howard Street, opposite Academy of Music, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 



Samuel G. Winternitz. TELEPHONE CALL 613. David Winternitz. 

SAMUEL. G. WINTERNITZ & BRO. 

New Numbers, 306 and 308 Camden Street, opp. B. & O. R. R. Depot. 

and 214, 216, 218, 220, 222 and 224 8. Howard Street. 

A€rEJTTS FOR— The Bolton Steel Co. Manhattan Rolling Mill. Boynton & Flummers* 
(Hand and Power) Upright and Horizontal Self-Feedins Drills, Bolt Cutters and other Labor- 
Saving Machinery. Phoenix Horse and Mule Shoes. Bryden's Patent Calked, Frog, Pressure 
and Plain, Horse and Iron and Steel Calked Mule Shoes Champlain, Phoenix and Fssex Horse 
Nails. Culver Patent Shoe Shapes. Champion Blower and Forge Co. Pennsylvania Bolt and 
NutCo. "Arcade" Horse Rasps. Pope's Farrier Knives. 

DEALERS IN— Bar Iron and Steel, Wagon and Carriage Material, Swedish, Hammered, 
Norway and Horse Shoe Iron. Cast, Shear, Tire, Spring, Machinery and Toe Calk Steel. Chains 
and Heavy Hardwai a of all kinds. Springs and Axles, Anvils, Vises. Bellow?, Forges and Fan 
Blowers. Blacksmiths' and Horse Shoers' Tools. Railroad and Machinists' Supplies, Bolts. Nuts 
and Washers ot all kinds. Boiler and other Rivets of every description. Keep constantly on 
hand a large supply of Old Iron and Steel, and other materials too numerous to mention. Old 
Machinery and Tools of every description, and many useful articles suitable for Blacksmiths and 
Machinists Hichest Cash Prices paid for Wrought and Cast Scrap Iron, Old Horse Shoes and 
Metals of all kinds. 



GEORGE GUNTHER'S 





9 



Baltimore, Maryland, 



^.UQUST BECK'S 

IriikGBK Bill BBBWSBT 

FREDERICK ROAD, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 



©©late Awa^g HmtoiMs 



Maryland Brewery. 

T. M. DUKEHAET, Proprietor, Baltimore. 

CELEBRATED ALES, PORTER, BROWN STOUT, k. 





TELEPHONE CALL 555 



BBIIrlrlT S * IOTII 



EUROPEAN PLAN. 

IsTo. 226 East Baltimore Street, 

(OPPOSITE AMERICAN OFFICE), 

BALTIMORE, IVtD. 

BATES, - - $1.50 IFEIR, ZD-A.-Z". 



iillHiH null's 



Lager Beer Brewery, 




Belvidere Street, near Greenmount Ave. 



M. 



Bottler of Tonic Beer, Giier Ale § Soda Water, 

NEW No. 705 SOUTH CHARLES STREET. 

Orders by Mail will receive prompt attention. 

"thosTbT'oookeT 
Manufacturer of Soda Waters, Tonic Beer, Belfast Ginger ale,&c. 

BOTTLER OP LAGEB BEER AND FOR.I'ER,, 

1426 and. 1428 Eastern Avenue, 

TELEPHONE CAEIi, 525-2. BALTIMORE, MD. 

2206 to 2212 Frederick Ave, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 
Office— 126 South Charles Street. 



Staten Island Bottling Co, 



Established 1875. 



J. HEINZEKLING. 
CO. 



W. J. W1CKHAM. 

General Bottlers of Porter, Brown Stout, American 
Ginger Ale, Soda Waters, &c. 

City Bottling House, 63 and 65 Conway Street, Baltimore, Md. 
TELEPHONE CALL 1421-3. MALT PHOSPHATES, Trade Mark Registered. 

J. WISENAUER & SQK"S, 

Manufacturers of Soda Water, Sarsaparilla, Ginger Ale, Tonic Beer, etc. New 

York Refined Cider, Bottled Porter and Dukehart's XX Brown Stout 

constantly on hand. Ginger Punch a specialty. Lime Phosphate. 

ALL ORDERS PROMPTLY FILLED. 

telephone 481-4. New Nos. 707, 723 and 725 W. Pratt St. , Balto. , Md. 

Imported and Domestic NATURAL MINERAL 
WATERS, Wholesale and Eetail, 221-223 N. CHARLES 
STKEET, BALTIMORE, MD. C. B. Shafee, 1010 F Street, 
Washington, D. C. Shafek & Co., 112 North Ninth Street, 
Philadelphia, Pa. 



A. S. Shafer & Son. 



Chesapeake Beer Bottling Co 



Rob't Dorn, Proprietor, 

1 424 "W. Baltimore St. Ext. 




No. 6 South Howard Street. 



A, §, MILES 



Manufacturer of Mineral Water and Syrups. Also Bottler 
of English Soda. Ginger Ale, &c. New Nos. 736 and 738 East 
Lombard Street, Baltimore. Soda and Mineral Waters supplied in 
Steel Fountains. 



J. H. Von der Horst. H. R. Von der Horst. 



J. H. Von der Horst & Son's 



:AND: 



BELAIR AVE. EXTENDED, 



141sflMiEl» W$k 



Br|ewei{S u\ ^xtija £als § ^tan3ai|3 Bebi[. 



TELEPHONE No. 779. 



J. F. WIESSNER & BRO. 





mim 



Highlandtown, Baltimore County, Md. 



TELEPHONE CALL 1177-2. 



ORIENTAL BREWERY, 

CHARLES SOHLAFFER, 

Corner Third and Lancaster Streets, Canton. 

TELEPHONE 1053-3. 

S. HELLDORFER, 
ifli IllW/lIf, 

BREWER OF LAGER BEER, 

21 to 27 Lancaster Street Extended, Baltimore, Md. 

TELEPHONE 796. 

J. L. STRAUSS & BRO. 

PROPRIETORS OK 



*|l 



O'Donnell and Third Streets, 
Telephone 880. HALT IHOBS, MP. 

Enterprise Mwm^wmw j f 

Garrison Lane and Baltimore St. 

BALTIMORE, MD. 



Telephone No. 1465. 



i**. 



il^lSi^^^^i 




mm 



BOTTLI^WO^: 

Belair Ave. and Oliver Street. 



BALTIMORE, MD. 




rowing 

ESC E3K, 2ST. "ST. 




EiMM Bohemian, ExtiMBavafian I aSSSk 



The leading Beers in PURITY, BBIGHTNESS and Fffl FLAVOR. ) 



Geo. C. Sucro, 

AGENT. 



SAMUEL BABTH & CO. 

Hera Ag&mia 

IfcT©. 23.^: East Xj©za"bstrd. Street, 
New York Office, 36 Beaver St. 13 JLLTIMOBS, IS, 

JVtefoafe &istiffifig Comjtatttj 

MELVALE, BALTIMORE COUNTY. MD. 

Office, 504 EL Lomloard Street, 



UliMAN, BOYKIX & CO. (Limited), 

Wto@I®saI© Klquov Pealera, 

3^To. 512 E. JljomToard. Street, 



DTJXANY, MEYER & CO. 

IMPORTERS OF 

DEALERS IN OLD RYE WHISKIES, 

No. 39 S. GrSiy Street, BALTIMORE. 

Springdale Pure Rye (5 years old), 50 Cents a Bottle. 
Rockbridge Rye Whiskey, $2.00 a Gallon. 

Pure Malt Old Whiskey, $3.00 a Gallon. 

H. ROSENHEIM cSS SOIST, 
No. 413 "West Baltimore Street, 

Between Eutaw and Paca, 



MRS. ELIZABETH BAUERNSCHMIDT. JOHN MARR. 



4g ^ 



MiU 



Brewing Company 



SPRING+GARDEN 



j 



roHETOKiEX 



Foot Ridgely Street. 



BALTIMORE, MD. 




Irager Beer Brewsr j 

370, 372, 374 and 376 Pennsylvania Avenue, 

Telephone Call 131 8. BALTIMORE, MD. 

HENRY EXGEUBROT'S 
IMos. 28 and 30 Wilkins Street, 

Near Frederick Avenue, 

BALTIMORE CO., MD. 

Mrs. JOHN M. BERCER, 

whito) wmmm wmmrwmwtw 

And Manufacturer of all kinds of Mineral Water, 
818 S. Bond Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 



F, 



10 LAGER BEER BREWERY, 

Corner of Third Avenue and Dillon Sts., Highland- 
town, Baltimore County, Md. 



ESTABLISHED 1862. 



JOHN SOMMERFELD, 

Lager Beer Brewery, 

Nos. 21 15-2141 Galverton Avenue, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 



All Orders, both the City or Abroad, Promptly Attended to. 

JOHN BAUERN SCHMIDT, JR. 

MOUNT BREWKRY, 

No. 1707 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, Md. 

All Orders Promptly Executed. Telephone Call 1273. 

[nUflkDTIUf CTICCCI o^R^ollton lager beer brewery 

rllWHn HSi i> I i Ml i carroll p. o., Frederick road, 

LUIimiU III UMLI LL) near Baltimore, Md Telephone No. 486. 

~~e7waltbbs~&~coT 

Distillers, Importers, Wholesale Dealers in 




OFFICE AND WAREHOUSE, 

ICsTo- 37S. Gay Stoee-b., 

CANTON, BALTIMORE CO., MD. ffi&fcT/IMQKE^ 

Jos. K. Stonebraker. Ed. L. Stonebraker. Chas. W. Stonebraker. 

JOS. K. STOIEBKAKEK & CO. 



ZLTo. IS XJLgr3a.t Street, 

Zelglarand Clovw Club Pure Rye Whiskies. IGMMaTIlHORBg HBO i 



Explained on Next Page. 



PROVIDENCE DAIRY. 

Milk, Cream,, and Ice Cream 

Wholesale and Retail. 

WATEE ICES, <5SC- 

Southwest Corner High and Fawn Streets, 

Balls and Parties Supplied. Milk, Ice Cream, Water Ices always on hand and 
supplied daily by our wagons. 

Fine Print Butter and Fresh Eggs. JOS. CURRAN, PROPRIETOR. 

TELEPHONE CALL 364-3. 

Tocld's Celebrated Ice Cream. 

Factory and Parlors — 2418 Pennsylvania Avenue, Baltimore, Md. Orders left at 

the following places will receive prompt attention : Mrs. Roach, 1430 

Linden Avenue ; Mrs. F. E. Prosens, 1434 W. Baltimore Street. 

Telephone No. 1501-2-3. Established 1866.. 

Office, 169 Pennsylvania Avenue. 

Ijirqe 6oimti|y ]V[iI§ 9 €k[Eam, J^int Butter, 

Buttermilk and Smeerkase, 

Delivered Daily in all Parts of the City. The well-known reputation of this 
Dairy is a guarantee that nothing but a 

Strictly p-are -Article of l^ills. 

"Will be delivered to its patrons. All persons wishing to be served can give their 
orders to our drivers or send them to the office, 169 Pennsylvania Avenue. 



Jas. Barrera 



Manufacturer of Specialties in 
rE COITFECTIC 
" 12 W. Lexington St., Baltimore. 



DON'T READ THIS. 



Charles W. Logan's Choice Flavoring Extracts 

re the Best. You will not believe it until you use them, but then you will ne\ 
doubt it again. Ask your Grocer for tbem and take no other. 

E. & S. FREY, 314 "West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Md. 



Consumers Ice Company 



A. FENNEMAN, Prop'r. 
Office and Ice House, Ranstead's Wharf, 

3 Telephone Call 14. Baltimore, Md. 



Wholesale and Retail Dealer in and Shipper of 

Kennebec River Ice. Main Office, 314 S. Paca 

I Street. Wharf and Ice Houses, foot of Haines St. 

J Spring Garden, Baltimore, Md. Telephone No. 1021. 



RATES, ACCORDING TO LOCATION OF ROOM, 
FROM $2.50, $3.00 and $4.00 PER DAY. 




mmm 






AJErranCNBUB. BID, 



Is pleasantly and conveniently situated in the centre of the city, and occu- 
pies an entire square, with an annex, which is bounded by Baltimore, Light and 
Grant Streets. 

The City Passenger Kailway from all points pass the door, or within a few 
steps of it, a convenience that can scarcely be estimated. 

The Rates are for 



First and Second Floors, 
Third and Fourth Floors, 
Fifth and Sixth Floors, 



$4.00 per day. 
3.00 
2.50 



Bath Rooms and Parlors to suit the demands of its business at reasonable 



extra rates. 



J. P. SHANNON, MANAGER. 





L KRAuSS 



LEADING 



Wholesale and Retail, 

725 "^7"est Baltizsiore Street, 

Has constantly on hand an Elegant Assortment of 

ULSTERS, DOLMANS AND SHORT WRAPS, 
FANCY FURS OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS. 

©TOl^i Ililiit Itlti Ht llltia 
Gentlemen's Fur Caps, 

<^Icyes, 0nIIai[S anfl Gapes of[ all grafts, 

AT THE LOWEST PRICES. 

A FINE ASSORTMENT OF FUR TRIMMING. 

Furs of All Kinds Renovated, Refitted, Altered and 

Repaired Equal to New. 

ALL THE LATEST STYLES OP HATS AND CAPS, 

L. KRAUSS, 

FURRIER 

—AND— 

HATTBE, 

725 w. Baltimore St., 

Between Pine and Fremont, 

BALTIMORE, BED. 





P^rmpsco Flouring Mills 



Established 1774. 



THE 



PREMIERFSS* ) FLOUR 

vC.AJGAMBRILLMfg.Co. 

— OF — 

^zmzje:r,:eo.a_- 



The PATAPSCO SUPERLATIVE IS THE BEST, because it makes the 
Whitest, Sweetest and Most Nutritious Bread. 

C. A. GAMBRILL MANUFACTURING CO. 

No. 214 Oommeroe Street, Baltimore. 

RCONE & SONS, 

32 S. Howard Street, BALTIMORE. 

WM. J. CARROLL & CO. (Successors to Vickery & Carroll), 

Grocers Sz Coina^iission IMIerclistTits, 

123 S. Oalvert Street and 122 Cheapside, 

One door North of Pratt Street, BALTIMORE MD. 

Manufacturers' Agents for the Sale of Fish Oil, and Dkt and Wet Fish Scbap. 

^WILSON, BURNS & CO. 
WHOLESALE GBOCERS, 

Corner Howard, Lombard and Liberty Streets, 

D»p inilTHlf fl f\f\ Commission Merchants for ths Sale of 

iTiBUZBi&COi ^j™ 33 ?^ :EE R SE ' 
l II brvrkUl Nfc WWI Nq g EXCHANGE PLACE, BALTIMORE 



M, A, Hamilton & Co 



Established 1859. 
Cotton Factors, Commission Mer- 
chants and Warehonoemen. 

39 S. Frederick Street, Baltimore, Md. 



E. LEVERING & CO. 

IMPORTERS, JOBBERS AND ROASTERS OF 



7 

No. 102 Commerce Street, BALTIMORE, MIX 

J. C. BARKLEY & CO. 

Manufacturers of Boasted Coffees, 

JOBBERS OF COFFEES AND TEAS, 

208 E. Lombard Street and 207 "Water Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

! TEA WITH 

ETE1 



HE-NO 



IF YOU WANT 

Absolutely Pure IVEu.sta.rd. and Spices 

USE ONLY THAT MANUFACTURED BY 

PAEEISH BROTHERS, 
Packed in 1-4, 1-2 and 1 lb. Square Cans. 

PACA STEAM MTJSTARD AND SPICE MILJOS. Established 1812. 

!^£^.T^^Z^lX-,lLa BEOS. 

Importers and Manufacturers of 

MUSTARD and SPICES and Jobbers in FANCY GROCERIES 

Canned G-oods a. Specla-lx37-. 

133 and 135 West Lombard Street, BALTIMORE, MD. 

(Successors of Chaeles Maekell & Sons.) 

&. ©in & sons 9 co. 

Manufacturers of Standard Fertilizers. 

OFFICE— MARINE BANK BUILDING-, 
Factory, Locust Point BALTIMORE, MP. 

G. W. GAIL. CHRISTIAN AX. ERNST SCHMEISSER. 




BALTIMORE, IVED. 



ZE3Z. O. IMIoOOIMI^S, 

WHOLESALK AND KETAIL DEALER AND SHLPPER OF 



ANTHRACITE 1^0 M£k M -. BITUMINOUS 



Wharves, Offices and Yards, foot of York and Johnson Streets, 

Offices, 21 South Street, Cor. Light-St. Wharf and Lee Street, Baltimore. 
THE REILEY COaTIv COMPANY. 

REILEY BROTHERS, 

CO AL f COKE, WOOD, 

MAIN OFFICE, 110 N. HOWARD STREET, 

BRANCH OFFICES: Franklin and Fremont Sit., No. 920 Park Avenue (Yard,) 

Telephones 838 and 783-3. 

Consolidation Coal Company, 

oif ZMr^zR-srij^iisrnD, 

Miners and Shippers of the Superior 

GEORGE'SCREEK BIG-VEIN CUMBERLAND COAL. 

OFFICE-No. 221 EAST GERMAN STREET, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 

Ill II l/h OO Dealers in Anthracite and Cumberland 

UUm H RinQAilrV Co* 1 - Office— 221 East Fayette Street. Yard- 
Ill III 111 Ml IIC VjL UUI Phil a<lelpliia Road and Union R. R. Telephone 

" ZEL L- PAEZEE Sz CO- 

Importers and Dealers in 

Tin Plate, Sheet Iron, Wire, Zinc, 

STAMPED AND JAPANNED WARE, &c. 

ZLTo. 83 S. Cliarles S-bx*eeti 3 
BALTIMORE, MD. 



Upton W, Dorsev's™ 

J Offi( 



, Railroad Ticket Office, 219 E. Baltimore St. 
(News Building), Baltimore, Md. One Dollar to 
re Dollars saved by buying your tickets at this 
office. Office Hours— 7 30 A.M. to 9 P.M. Sundays 
10.00 A.M. to 8.80 P. M. I buy all kinds of Tickets at Highest Prices. 



France & 55owtncottt6 t 



Baltimore and Holliday Streets. 



Wilson, Frank & Horner 



tt /v rpcs Factory — 104 "W. Lexington 
-«■-«- J- »• Street. Warehouse— 204 W. 

■ Baltimore Street, Baltimore. 84 Bleecker 

J Street, New York. 




Established 1864. 



T. N. WEBB, 

Hilts ©tfi» 

-.AND — 

Straw Goods. 

All Goods Sold on the One Price 

System, and to sell Cheap 

must be for Cash. 

MNo.219N.EutawSt. 

Corner Clay Street, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 



G, W, ALEXANDER, A, M. 



SANITARY ENGINEER, 

Baltimore, Nld. 



JOSHUA J. H. TYSON, 

MANUFACTURER AND DEALER IN 

No. 656 WEST BALTIMORE STREET. 

Small Profits and Quick Sales is Our Motto. 



R, W, Maccubbin. Ji 



SHIRTS IX STOCK. Shirts made to 

ure. Fit Assured. 
1 660 West Baltimore Street, 



of Pine Street, 



Baltimore, Md. 



Heineman & Wroe 



Importers of Men's Fine Furnishings, and 

Manufacturers of Dress Shirts. 
Ill Fast Baltimore Street, 

I Under Carrollton Hotel, Baltimore, Md 



@@1¥1M¥^ ggg W* g««ij& 

115 "^7"est ZE^a^ette Street, ZBa,ltim.ore. 
HIS WORK HIS REFERENCE. 



Of all kinds. 



,A.rti3tio, Attractive, Economical, 

JORY & CO. 

18 East German Street, BALTIMORE. 



J. S. Johnson & Co 



Manufacturers of Twines &. Netting, 

Importers of Gilling Thread, Fishing Tackle, &c. 
61 South Street. Baltimore, Md. 



LEVI WEINBE RGER'S 

RIDDLE rasas, 



SHOE HOUSE, 

No. 315 LEXINGTON STREET. 
Exclusive Agency for Burt Shoes. 

DEALERS IN 

Imported and American Tiles, 

Iiow's High Art and Other Tiles. 

For Hearths, Mantel Facings, Wainscoting and all kinds of Interior Decorations. 

Floor Tiles of all kinds. Fine Hard Wood and Slate Mantels, 

Grates, Brass Goods and Fire-Place Appurtenances. 

Telephone Call 1482. Office and Salesrooms, 124 N. Howard St. 

CHARLES E. EHMANX, 

Sljesbim. ZMZaiir?t>:Le "Works, 

Marble and Polished Granite Monuments, Headstones, etc. Furniture Slabs, 
Tiling and Decorative Plate Glass. 

Warerooms, 312 & 31 4 N. High St. Steam Works, 12, 14 & 16 Stevens' Court. 

BALTIMORE, MD. 

ISAAC S. FILBERT, 

CONTRACTOR 

For Laying Asphaltum, Neuchatel Mystic, Portland 

Cement, Granolithic (Artificial Stone), &c., on 

Streets, Sidewalks, Stables, Basement 

and Cellar Floors, 

Or wherever a solid, smooth and durable pavement or floor is desired. Refer to 
work done in this and other cities. 

Office and Yard, 1 37 McHenry Street, cor. Poppleton, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 

Broken Stone in any Quantity. All Work Guaranteed. 

M Oil II T On II 7°° w - Pratt Street, Baltimore, Md. Dealers and 
I A 1 1 A. \ 1 1 M Workers in Oranite, ST. River Blue Stone, 

I UfiUL I VjL Oil II ■ Marb,e and Free Stone. Slate and Tile 



Roofers. 



CANTON, BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD. 

The Canton Company's property comprises some 2,500 Acres, located 
on the bold deep waters of the Patapsco, adjoining Baltimore City. 

It is traversed by the Baltimore <fe Ohio and the Pennsylvania Rail Road 
systems. 

The location combines cheap fuel and unusual facilities both by Rail and 
Water as a distributing point. 

The Property is for Sale or Lease in lots to suit purchasers upon favor- 
able terms, and is well adapted for Manufactories and other Industrial Pursuits. 



CENTRAL RAILWAY CO. 

Office, Preston and Constitution Streets, 
BALTIMORE, MD. 

PETER THOMPSON, President. WALTER BLAKISTONE, Secy. & Treas. 

DIRECTORS: 

PETER THOMPSON, HENRY JAMES, 

JOHN W. HALL, WALTER B. BROOKS, 

R. C. HALL, T. WALLIS BLAKISTONE, 

N. W. JAMES. 



Double Track from Baker Circle on Fulton Avenue to 
Broadway Market and Locust Point Ferry. 



First Car leaves Depot going West and East at 5.25 A. M. 

First Car leaves each Terminus at 6 A. M. 

Last Car, going through from end to end, leaves Terminus at 11 P. M. 

Last Car, from each Terminus for Stable, at 12.10 P. M. 

Cars run at intervals of six minutes. 

CANAL FREIGHT LINES 

For Philadelphia and New York. 

Baltimore and Philadelphia Steamboat Co. ("Ericsson Line.") 

The Steamers of the Company leave daily (Sundays excepted) at 4 P. M. from 
wharf corner Light and Pratt Streets, arriving early next morning. 

Cabin Fare, $2.00. Deck Fare, $1.50, 

Freight of all kinds taken at the lowest rates. 



New York and Baltimore Transportation Liine 

Erom Company's Wharf, foot of Frederick-street Dock. Steamers leave New 
York and Baltimore daily at 5 P. M. (Sundays excepted). The rates by this line 
have been greatly reduced. Shippers and Receivers will find it to their interest 
to call before contracting with other lines. Time 36 hours and prompt arrivals. 
For Rates apply to 

J. ALEX. SHRIVER, P rest., 3 Light Street Wharf. 

The Merchants Parcel Delivery Co. 

Make four deliveries to all sections of the city from their office, 318 and 320 West 

Baltimore Street, Daily. Parcels 10 Cents, if under 10 pounds, and of 

reasonable bulk. Trunks 25 Cents. 

Office, 318 and 320 "West Baltimore Street. 

TELEPHONE 342. 




AJHp^n&Cm LITHOGRAPHERS, 

THE OLDEST, LARGEST & MOST COMPLETE ESTABLISHMENT IN THE COUNTRY 

BRANCH HOUSE. RICH MO N D, VA. 




Lexington St.,oppositeGityHalI. 



We respectfully invite attention to the wonderful achievements in Art Productions within 
the past decade, and to the growth of taste for the beautiful, now so necessary for successful 
business advertisement. For this advancement much is due to the Art of Lithography; for 
in no other branch of business can we find more wonderful improvements, or greater de- 
mands for the best efforts of the Artist. 

Our House, which is one of the first established, (and now the oldest) on the Continent, 
has kept pace with the requirements of the Art and with the other wonderful developments of 
the country. Since 1835 we have annually added to our business all facilities and valuable 
improvements, as well as many inventions of our senior partner, among others our Patent 
Lithocaustic Process, (in which style the plate on the reverse of this page is executed,) ac- 
knowledged to be the greatest improvement since the time of Senefelder, the inventor of 
Lithography. Our facilities are to-day unsurpassed by any establishment in the Country, em- 
bracing as they do, the new processes of Heliography, Photolithography, etc. All our work 
is produced strictly upon special orders, and our customers are thereby given the benefit of our 
entire efforts and long experience. 

Estimates cheerfully given and reasonable prices and first class work guaranteed. 



A. HOEN & CO. 



Certificates, 

Drafts, 
Bills of Exchange, 

Checks, 

Letter- and 

Billheads, 

Diplomas 

Plans, 
Maps, Cards, 




^ -yiiinmW J . 

Show Cards, 
Hangers, 

Portraits, 
Labels 

of* all Kinds, 

rilustr'atJons, 
Plam&Fancy 
Folders, 

Calendars, 



THE HOEN BUILDING. 



Lot 198x53 feet. The floor space in the Hoen Building occupied by us, and needed for our 
^ business, is equal to 70,560 square feet, or about one and one-half acres 

v- s In connection with the above, we have also a large establishment in Richmond, Va., occupying 
about one-half the space of our Baltimore House. 




H. WURTZBEKGER & SON. 
IfcTo. 351 IbTortlh. O-s.37" Street, 

Next to Old Town Bank, BALTIMORE, MD, 

No connection with any other house on Gay street Men's, Boys' and Children's Clothing. 

ESTABLISHED i860. 

FRIFfl h TRW* town chaise MH£i, 

I IIILU VJL UUl 305 N. Gay Street, near Front. 

Our Stock comprises Men's, Youths', Boys' and Children's Clothing in endless variety, 
and exclusively of our own manufacture. Our Merchant Tailoriaig' Department 

always stocked with the latest designs and fabrics, both in Foreign and Domestic Fabrics. 

WOODWARD, BALDWIN & NORRIS7 

Dfi[ Ejoodg, (Jommi^ioi) fljei t cli&i]i$, 

Nos. 9 and 11 Hanover Street, Baltimore. 



prof. W. T. (Jfeggeft \ $on, 

SELECT 

PlCHDEMY OF DANCING, 

New Nos. 404 and 406 E. Baltimore St. 

With increased facilities of affording to Young Ladies, Misses, 
Juveniles and Gentlemen a thorough knowledge of the above elegant 
accomplishment. Their course of instruction is thoroughly system- 
atic, and embraces all the New and Fashionable Dances." 



OTTO SUTRO & CO., 19 E. Baltimore Street, 

DEALERS IN 

Sieinmay Pianos, Mason & Hamlin Organs, 

AND OTHER FIRST-CLASS INSTRUMENTS. 

Importers of and Dealers in every kind of Musical Merchandise, Wood and Brass Ixstkc- 
mknts, Sheet Music, Music Books, etc., etc. 



Manufacturing Jeweler, 

MAMONB •M M M3ETO, 
No. 14 ST. PAUL STREET, BALTIMORE 



B^jEy^mg|K|^ 



/MANUFACTURER'/ 0# 




%W&MWmm> Sm BETW. CHARLES &HAN0VER STS 

BaltimoreMd. 

As I am the only manufacturer of this class of Goods in the city, it will pay 
to give me a call before purchasing elsewhere. 

Billiard and. Fool Tables 

Covered or Repaired at the Shortest Notice. 

Manufacturers and Jobbers of 

MNo. 118 Hanover Street, Baltimore, Md. 
Proprietors of the Crown Brush Works 



Wm, A. Tottte & Co 



Chas, W. Lord &. Co 



Chas. W. Lord. Thos. F. Sprigg. 

Manufacturers and Wholesale Dealers in 

MWoodenware, Cordage, Brooms, «fec. 
Nos. 104 and 106 E. Lombard St., Baltimore, Md. 



Manufacturer of all kinds of 

WROUGHT & CAST ARCHITECTURAL IRON WORK, 

No. 210 Clay Street, near Park, Baltimore, Md. 



Frederick Niemeyer, Jr. 



MANUFACTURER OF 



731 King St., Baltimore, Md. 



The Merchants and Miners' Trans portation Company. 

Steamships sail from Baltimore to Boston every Monday and Thursday at 
3 P. M. ; Providence every Monday and Thursday at 2 P. M. ; Savannah every 
Wednesday and Saturday at 3 P. M. Passenger Accommodations Unsurpassed. 

For Freight or Passage, apply to 

A. L. HUGGINS, General Agent, Long Dock, Baltimore. 

Fayette and Front Streets, 

Baltimore, Md. 
Telephone 579-3. Goods called for and de- 
livered free in all parts of the city. 



Empire Steam Laundry, 




CATHEDRAL & BIDDLE STREETS. 

fw.J.C.KING- St SONS, OLD STAND.) 



Telephone 1213-3. 



. .:■■■' ■■ ' .;- ■ - ■■ ■ :"'■ " . . ■--... 



Matthews & Kirkland 



(Successors to F.W. Bennett & Co.) General Auction- 
eers and Commission Merchants, Nos. 32 and 34 
■ S. Charles St., bet. German and Lombard, Balti- 
5 more. Liberal Advances made on Consignments. 




W, H, UITHICUM 



Maryland Agent for the Celebrated W. W. Grbbnbk 

Treble Wedge-Fast O-TTliTS, 

No. 230 W. Baltimore Street, N. W. Cor. Charles, 

Baltimore, Md. 



C S, Wertsner & Co 



Guns a Specialty. 



C. W. Sneider 



No. 2 Light Street, opp. Carrollton Hotel, Baltimore, 
Md. Guns, Rifles, Revolvers, Ammunition, Fishing 

M Tackle, Canvas, Leather and Gum Coats. Hats &c. 
Base Ball Goods. Machine Loaded Shells for Shot 
First-Class Repairing of every kind. Low Prices. 

Manufacturer of the Sneider Breech-Loading Shot Gun, 

And Dealer in all kinds of Gunners' Supplies, 
" 16 W. Pratt Street, near Charles, Baltimore. 



FOUTZ'S MEDICINES 

FOTJTZ'S 

HORSE AND CATTLE POWDERS 




No Hobse will die of Colic. Bots or Lung Fe- 
tee, if Foutz's Powders are nsed in time. 

Foutz's Powders "will cure and prevent Hog Cholera. 

Foutz's Powders will prevent Gapes in Fowls. 

Foutz's Powders will increase the quantity of milk 
and cream twenty per cent., and make the butter firm 

Foutz's Powders will cure or prevent almost evkbt 
Disease to which Horses and Cattle are subject. 
Foutz's Powt>ees will give Satisfaction. 
Bold everywhere. 

DAVID E. POTJTZ, Proprietor, 
BALTIMORE, MD. 

Foutz's Liniment. 

Shriner's Balsamic Cough Syrup. 

Shriner's Indian Vermifuge. 

DAVID E. FOUTZ, BALTIMORE, MD. 

Macedon, N. Y., Manufacturers of Farmers 
Favorite Grain Drill, with Wizard Force 
Feed Fertilizer Attachment. B. G. Thomas, 



Ickford & Huffman 



Southern Mgr., 408 S. Eutaw St., Baltimore., Md. 



"T. A. Brown. R. H. Gilbert. W. H. Angerman. L. B. Wolcott. 

"WHOLESALE GEOCEES, 

Xo. 109 EAST LOMBARD STREET, 

BALTIMORE, MD. 



Rose, Whitehurst &. Co 



M. J. Rose. J. T. Whitehurst 

ROSIN and TURPENTINE. 

M Commission and Naval Stores, No. 99 Smith's 
Wharf, Baltimore. 



Maryland White Lead Co, 



OF THE CITY OF BALTIMORE, 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

Pnre Dry White Lead and Pure 
Lead in Oil. 



Highest Diplomas and Medals for Excellence of Quality of 

Hermetically Sealed Oysters, Fruits & Vegetables 

Tactory and Office, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 Cross Street, Baltimore. 

Mountain Sugar Corn Factory, Frederick City, Maryland, U. S. A. 



11. ». MILLEB A CO., Manufacturers of Pure Animal- Bone Phosphate, Pure Ground 
Bone and Bone Meal. Factory and Principal Office— On Passaic River, Newark, N. J. Branch 
Office— 302-206 Buchanan's Wharf, Baltimore, Md. Warehouses— Baltimore. Md.: Norfolk, Va.: 
Richmond, Va.; Alexandria, Va.; New Berne, N. C; Washington, N. C; Wilmington, N. C: 
Savannah, Ga.; Brunswick, Ga.; Pensacola, Fla.: Mobile, Ala.; New Orleans, La. 



ELECTRICAL WORKS 



OF THE 



Viaduct Manufacturing Company 



OFFICE, CHARLES AND GERMAN STREETS, 
BALTIMORE, NIL). 



A. a. DAVIS, 



President, 










We manufacture everything Electrical, including Wood Work. Our Factory, at the 
Relay, B. & O. R. R., is stocked with the most approved machinery for the purpose, and 
is run by water power. We have large buildings, and plenty of room. 

One of our specialties is the protection of Safes and Buildings with our Patent 

BURGLAR ALARM BELL AND MATTING 



ESTIMATES CHEERFULLY FURNISHED, 

And the System fully explained in operation at our Salesrooms and Otrlce. 



ffi PWNSEND'S 

New No. 308 East Baltimore Street, 



MNIIW+MOOlt* 






OPEN ALL NIGHT. 



BALTIMORE, MD. 



Setzer's Restaurant 



26 S. Eutaw Street, near Concordia Opera House,. 
Baltimore. On Draught— Pilsen, Erlanger Extra Pale, 
. Lager Beer, India Pale and Burton Ales. Oysters in- 
J every Style. Choice Wines, Liquors and Cigars. 




THE SUN 



JOB MINTING OFFICE 



SUN IRON BUILDING, 



BALTIMORE. 



G-EOE.O03 J±. 2v£XXjXjS, 

MANUFACTURER OF 

Office, Counting ^oonj and School Fitfnifeitfe 

OfK.ce ataa-cL Factory, 

Xo. 20 E. Bane Street, Near Light. 

BALTIMORE. 




II. S. Zell, President. O. C. Zell, Vice-President and Treas. Jas. W. Hunter, Sec'y. 

Tlie Zell Guano Conapaiii3r, 

MANUFACTURERS OF 

ZELL S HIGH GRADE FERTILIZERS, 

Office, No. 32 South Street, Baltimore, Md. 



S^uggenheimer, 

J/[/eil & Q. 

<J[RE, pleased to announce to the 
readers of this volume their readi- 
ness to serve them in any zvay, from 
the production of a Visiting Card to 
a ready botmd volume, of which 
"Our Police" is a specimen. 



()UR T\EPARTMENTS : 

pRINTING. L ITHOGRAPHIC. 

' JOB PRINTING. SHOW CARDS. 

BOOK PRINTING. TOBACCO, CAN-GOODS 
CATALOGUE PRINTING. and other LABELS. 

LABEL PRINTING. ADVERTISING CARDS. 

RAILROAD PRINTING. BONDS, CHECKS, Etc. 

£>00K JJINDING. 

BLANK BOOKS. MISCELLANEOUS BINDING. 

£ARD JJ NGRA VI NG. 
WEDDING. RECEPTION VISITING. 



RETAIL DEPARTMENT: . J^ECHANICAL DEPARTMENT: 

log East Baltimore Street, Cor. Lombard and Liberty Sis. 



[jive ijour 1 £ong and Daughter a practical Education. 

-$8 FOUNDED IN 1864 BY W. H. SADLER 3g»- 




OS 



Cg$6M? t 




ID and 12 N, Cliarles Street, 

In Honor of our 

24th Annual Opening, 

And to meet the growing demands of the Public, this Institution has just been 
enlarged and reconstructed (ft t Q AAA A A an( * * s uow orj e of the finest 

at an expense of over q) 1 U , UUU • UU and best appointed 

Institutions of the kind in the world. The 

^GUMlIGUMIM^Of^STIIBY^ 

Comprises a Practical Business Education that qualifies pupils to support them- 
selves and successfully perform the practical duties of life. 

Embraces the largest corps of Teachers and Assistants of any similar Institution, 
all of whom are selected with special reference to their proficiency for each, 
department. 

^THIS^INSTITCTION^ 

Has successfully educated and placed in business hundreds of young men and 
women who attribute their start in life to the advantages received from attend- 
ing our School. To meet the great demand that will be made upon us for the 
coming year, we have enlarged our facilities and improved our Course of Study, 
which comprises a thorough knowledge of 

Book-Keeping, Penmanship, Correspondence, Rapid Business Calculations, 

Commercial Arithmetic, Commercial Law, 

Business Practice, Spelling, Typewriting and Shorthand. 

Pupils may enter at ant time. For Catalogue and Terms address 

W. H. SADLER, Prest., Nos. 10 and 12 N. Charles St., Baltimore, ttd. 



LR8A P ?8 



4 









-«* 



